Tenderfoot
by Bellaria
Summary: “jeeze brat, don’t pick a fight with Witch, she’d win.”[Jake]“I wasn’t picking a fight!”[Sam] UPDATED! On Hiatus, lack of expressed interest and authoress motivation
1. WTF?

**Okay Bellaria here. This is my new story Tenderfoot, I am telling you now, this story has OC's, if you do not like, tolerate, etc OC's don't read the story, that simple. Also this story is AU so yes it will be different and so on. Read above line and rinse and repeat as nessecary...**

**Tenderfoot: Sam is your regular, sixteen almost seventeen year old. She lives in San Francisco, with her mom, step-dad, two younger brothers and her step sister who is the same age. A strong competitior in the Eventing world she helps run the family stable with her parents. She's happy and content with herlife and is just about to get a big shock. Her dad in Nevada, who she occassionally hears from has asked her to come and live with him and his family. Now sam finds herself in an alien state, with an unknown family, new people and a school that isn't quite sure what to do with the new girl that's just shown up. **

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**Chapter One**

**WTF?**

Soft hoofbeats muffled by sand echoed about the indoor arena with its wood paneling interior, fluorescent lights hung over the floor from the high ceiling, but were unlit thanks to the light coming from the hall walled short side that showed off the nice day outside. Clear plastic was rolled up to the ceiling and strapped up by white nylon strips. Seen in the bright speck of clear blue sky was a solid dark arm of clouds rolling slowly closer. Colorful striped poles were set up in their jump wings at a fair height.

A horse and rider circled the arena. The large stallion looked to be derived partly from a heavy horse. Tall and grey he shone with dapples so light they were almost gone, silver strands mixed with white and black made up his banner of a tail and shortly cut mane. His long forelock curtained brilliant brown eyes. A black bonnet was over his ears, open front boots were on his legs and his small jumping saddle was draped over a blue saddle pad.

His rider sat up slightly in two point position. Auburn hair fell in a long plait down her back streaked with gold and black, brown mocha eyes focused on a red and white striped oxer from beneath her black helmet. She wore jodhpurs and black boots with gaiters. A loose blue jersey with the sleeves scrunched up about her elbows, and black gloves.

The crop in her hand didn't move as she squeezed her lower calves on the horse's large sides encouraging him slightly as she murmured to him. Voice low and soft she didn't pay attention to the empty bleachers outside of the arena, or to the small crowd of one that watched her.

Six strides before the jump she focused on a point high behind the jump, tilting her weight back slightly as she encouraged with her legs. The last three strides closed with a rush and she sat forward, weight up and reins going up the stallion's neck. The two sailed over effortlessly to land with a soft thunk on the other side. The girl eventually tipped her weight back and settled the horse back into a slow collected canter as his breath snorted out in rapid bursts. Silver coated muscles bunched and he stepped high like a Lipizzaner horse. Before coming into a high kneed trot.

Prancing about the arena the girl encouraged him further and further down into accepting the bit. It took some convincing and a lot of patience but eventually the choppy trot changed to a fast paced walk and she kept the reins in contact until he calmed enough for her to ease them through her fingers, eventually his breath sighed and he accepted the bit, still snorting as he moved forward in frame.

"Good Sam, a lot better. Heels down though, that oxer's a meter ten which means you need to balance properly. Better in keeping your eyes up though but you need to look for the jump earlier. In the jump off you won't have time to get him back under you before you look, you need to multitask and get him calm while looking at the next jump."

Sam looked up at the voice letting go of the breastplate martingale she'd been adjusting to look at the speaker.

He was tall and broad shouldered. His black hair was a mop on his head shadowing bright green eyes. He wore well worn faded jeans with beaten up dark brown chaps and scuffed dark brown boots, a loose light blue polo top emblazoned with black embroidery on the right side of the chest, a horse jumping over the name Silverthorne Stables went with it. This was her step-dad Victor.

He was a well known instructor and was getting her ready for a competition that was coming up next week. It was a small time one, just showjumping and equitation. He'd entered her in the championship class of a meter to go up to one meter thirty if she made it all the way through. She was looking forward to it even though it wasn't eventing which was her specialty.

He was a great coach and a great father to her. He'd been her riding instructor since she could walk and had always been the one to pick her up when she cried when her mother couldn't. Which wasn't very often, her mother Louise was the ever caring and loving mother with her sheet of auburn hair and warm cinnamon eyes, she was there for a hug whenever Sam needed one even though she was almost seventeen years old now.

Sam's step sister Grace agreed with her that they had one of the best step mixed family ever as they all got along great. She and Grace were the same age and often argued like sisters but got along better than most. They both doted on their two younger brothers Oliver and Max who were respectively twelve and thirteen this year.

"Remember that you and Swallow work best as a team think with him all the time and concentrate on that oxer or that parallel or double," she could see the grin on his face as he made his way over to her. "And set him up, he'll do the rest but he wants you behind him, got it?"

She nodded smiling back, "got it."

"Good," Victor nodded seriously to her, and then broke the stern coach image by smiling. "Much better though, now off, cool him out, wash him and put him away. You're taking the boys class today and then I need you to help me give the three newbie's their worming paste and strangles shots."

Sam swung out of the tall horses saddle gave him a cheeky salute, "aye, aye Mon Capitan." She ran up her stirrup and loosed the girth as she slipped the stallions reins over his head.

He bopped her lightly on the helmet in an affectionate gesture, "sassy."

Her only reply was to poke her tongue out as she ducked round the other side and ran up the stirrup on the side.

She could hear his footsteps moving away and when she started to walk out of the ring she would see him lowering the jumps down to the height of forty five centimeters. She'd have to heighten them as she taught the class but at the moment they'd only gotten up to seventy five in that class, only Oliver and Max had gotten up to ninety five so far.

Beside her Swallow sighed out his breath in a long rush and blinked white eyelashes over dark eyes. Up close he had a white star mixed in with the white and light grey coloring, brown speckles called fleabites, not that they actually were it was just a term, were scattered over his face.

Reaching up beneath the bonnet she scratched behind his ear and heard him let out a grateful sigh. He rubbed his nose on her sleeve and gently pushed him away. That kind of stuff could lead to bad behavior, more so from a stallion. He probably hardly even noticed as she cooled him out, stripped him of his saddle and bridle in front of his stall switching the leather work for a well worn blue nylon halter with fluffy sheep skin over the nose strap and headpiece before she then led him into the washbay.

It was large enough for three individual stalls and had originally been that, a stall half door bolted at the end of the large room so if any of the horses broke off they wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Victor and her mother had made it this way though. Six tie up rings were evenly spaced apart on one wall with clip chains hanging from them. A drain rang along the slightly sloped floor. A washing machine in one corner was going in its soft humming noise. A bench ran along the other side of the wall, two tall metal cabinets stood in a corner at the end of the benches, right beside the washing machine. One was locked and the other wasn't. Hoses with hot and cold water switches went around on swinging arms so the horses couldn't tread on them.

Clipping him to a chain and taking the lead rope she set it on the bench as she pulled out a silver chain from beneath her jersey. Keys tinkled and she moved to the locked cabinet. This was the family's personal one and each had a key for it. The other was well kempt as well and was the students' cupboard. But in the family one, each member had their own shelf of stuff to avoid arguments. Sam had the one beneath Grace's, who was beneath their mom who was beneath their dad.

Sam had recently went out to the tack shop and spent her own money on brand new shampoo made specially for grey's with white liquid highlight makeup as well as black highlight makeup. PHP top tails detangler sat amongst the stuff as well, well hidden from the boys who conveniently 'forgot' the rule and often stole it. A few light rugs were on the shelf as well, each one was for showing, with their championship labels where she'd won them from.

That wasn't what she was searching for. Instead she pulled out two soft towels and a red sweat scraper. As she set the saddle blanket she'd carried in by the washing machine. She only had to give the stallion a hose down and then she had just enough time to scrape him down and take him to his stall and hurry to the lesson she was instructing.

Gracie and herself shared the duties of instructing the younger ones to earn money and contribute their part to the stables. Students mucked out their assigned horses stalls and cleaned their gear and that way they cut down on other costs. Money went into things like patching holes in stalls, repairing the engine in the horse truck and other such maintenance things.

Turning on the water she set a finger over the nozzle and started to wash the horse that rolled one eye towards her and snorted out a breath. Swallow hated the washbay and only tolerated it for her and even then it was rare. It had taken a lot of patience to get him to walk in and clip up as quietly as he now did. Thanks to her dad and mom's advice until he now stood while she gathered things together but as soon as the spray went on he picked up his hooves in a mincing way and snorted out his breath.

Victor wasn't her real dad, she knew that. She knew her real dad, his name was Wyatt and he lived in Nevada with his wife, her step mom, Bryanna and their three kids, Cody, Jaxom and Reena. Cody was thirteen, Jaxom twelve and Reena was eleven. But she'd hardly seen them, a photo would be sent to her on birthdays and Christmas's along with small presents from the whole family, though they didn't quite know her as her mother had taken her with her at age two and moved to San Francisco. She talked on the phone to her Dad all the time, and sometimes Gram would too.

Her family life was odd but it was good. Her mother and father, biological ones, had once loved each other very much, but eventually it turned to platonic love and they broke it off, they still loved one another just… not quite enough to stay together.

Sometimes Sam wondered what it would be like if the two were still together and then dropped the thought because who knew? She was happy with her family but never saw her father or step mother.

Turning off the hose she could hear Swallow's hooves scraping across the concrete and she murmured quietly to him as she scrapped him over, setting a towel over his loins and rubbing the other over his coat that had turned a grey color due to being wet. He stood still for her to rub over his ears and down his sopping wet face. Water dripped from his chin and even though he was washed basically everyday, his swishing tail told her he wasn't happy with her.

She laughed, "What's the matter boy. Anyone would think you'd been sucking lemons or something, especially with a face like that."

Sam finished drying him off, setting the towel on her saddle blanket before setting her scraper in the cabinet and shutting it again to her the lock click into place. She left the towel over his lions, retrieving her lead rope to take him out of the bay.

Students were already in the aisles hurrying about in rapid succession and talking and laughing as they went. The stable was set up in a three straight sided U shape. It encompassed the large arena and at one end of the U arm was the washbay and at the other was the family's separate end with a lunging ring. At the bottom of the U there was a second large arena and another lunging ring all under cover and compact.

Now she nodded to her students with a smile as they waved brightly at her and walked Swallow quickly to his stall. It was separate to the other horse because of him being a stallion. He did have a little black pony called Chips as a companion though. The pony was graying at the muzzle and looked too made up mostly by his mane and tail that were bushy and thick, hiding cunning brown eyes.

Her brothers were talking as they tacked up their mounts and only called out a hello each without looking up as they argued over the use of a Y breastplate over a straight breastplate. She shook her head, personally she liked the Y shaped breastplates, reckoned they looked better. She clucked to Swallow who lazily swished his tail in return.

As the two of them entered the slightly larger airy stall the little company pony whickered before re-burying his muzzle in the pile of hay in the tire feeder. Quickly Sam exchanged the towel on Swallow's hindquarters for a white cotton combo with a hood and then bolted the door behind her. Only sparing a glance behind to see the large stallion digging in beside the small pony, it was strange to see a sixteen point two hand high animal beside a nine hand high one like that.

Jogging quickly she made her way to the arena, pulling out her hair and pouting at the slightly crimped mass before dragging it up into a high ponytail to let her bangs slide over one long lashed brown eye.

She was first there and took her time to look about the course Victor had set up, the boys had small equitation classes on the weekend to work on their form and two other students from the eight pupil class were entered as well.

Sam saw out of the corner over her eye that clouds were gathering on the horizon and were becoming a roiling mass as they rolled towards the stables. Frowning she went to the half wall and eyed them dubiously. Climbing up the ladder set into the wall to the side she pulled at one of the two nylon straps before crossing to the other side and repeating the action. The plastic dropped down and she secured each snap and buckle just as the arena doors opened.

Walking through it was Oliver and Max. They were getting tall and quickly catching up to her five foot seven height. The oldest was Oliver his auburn hair was the only feature he took from his mother. He had his father's broad shoulders but was slightly lanky as he hadn't quite grown into himself yet. His green eyes were bright and ran a tanned hand through his horse's mane.

The horse was a fifteen hand high blood red chestnut. He had two long stockings, one on the near foreleg and the other on the off hind leg. Shorter socks were on the other two and a thick white snip covered his nose and bottom lip. Oliver had put on leather open front jump boots and a black bonnet he had the Y breastplate on the horse, Gabrielle, too.

Max looked more like his mom, slender and with auburn hair, he and Sam looked extremely alike, no one could mistake them not for being brother and sister. Wide cinnamon brown eyes and a slight dusting of freckles with tan skin to set off the rest of his looks. He would eventually bulk up like his brother and when it was her turn to do laundry she often gave them the wrong clothes. The boys didn't mind as they swapped clothes regularly like their sisters did.

He led a mahogany bay horse, Demon, into the ring. Glossy and the color of dark chocolate he had long black stockings starching most of the way up his legs. The two forelegs looked as if they'd been dipped in milk to just beneath his knees, with a single small sock on his off hind leg, barely passing his fetlock. A small white star that looked vaguely like a three pronged fork was on his forehead and was hence, where he got his name. part Arabian his ears were Diablo ones, curling in at the tips, he was mainly polish Arabian though and stood at fifteen and a half hands high.

Oliver's Gabrielle was a thoroughbred, while Swallow was a thoroughbred, cross Connemara, cross Arabian, that's what gave him his hot high strung temperament. Grace's horse Shiloh was an Anglo, half Arab, and half thoroughbred and stood at sixteen hands. a liver chestnut mare with four long stockings and a wide blaze over her pretty dished face made her favorite for dressage judges. With flaxen mane and tail she had 'highlights' as both girls liked to call them, the flaxen mixed with silver, chestnut, black and brown to make it stunning. Every horse had its mane cut short to competition length perfect for braiding and their tails cut to stop just below their hocks. Max and Grace liked to shave their horses docks to give them a clean cut edge whereas, Oliver and Sam liked to braid theirs having more patience than their siblings to do so.

"Sammy!" they grinned at her as they let down their stirrups and tightened their girths as the rest of the group came in the door with lesson horse or privately owned mounts for three of them.

When they were mounted up and ready she strode to the middle of the ring and started instructing her class.

* * *

The storm brewing over head had Sam looking out the plastic sheeting to the outside world as her class started to dismount and lead their mounts off. she could vaguely hear her brothers joking and laughing with them but hardly paid attention, she was more focused on the outside. It seemed as if someone had flicked off a light leaving the world about her grey and dark. It hadn't started raining yet but she could see the lit cloud underbellies where lightning was flashing.

Her eyes traced the paths of central park, seeing the winding and meandering pathways, some people hurried along them looking quite frantic. Strange, it must be a summer storm. She moved her gaze over the tree tops to look back up at the sky.

She flicked her eyes to the chore board and ran down the list. Hmm… it was Max and Grace's turn to feed up. But she had to go and help Victor too, she checked her watch, his lesson must've finished by now.

The auburn haired girl looked about the arena and then supposed she should drop the poles to the ground for the beginner lesson Grace had in ten minutes. Mind made up she moved about the arena dropping the poles to ground and then lowering the jump cups down to a ten centimeter height that grace could work up as the lesson progressed.

Then she left the arena to see the stable aisles more crowded then before as the pupils from Grace's lesson hurried about and her own went about their cooling out and washing. It was crowded and noisy but a good atmosphere, because of that they got a lot of business.

"Sammy-babe!" a voice called out and she looked about to see a girl striding towards her. she was tall but shorter than Sam by one inch. Dark green, long lashed blue eyes looked out from beneath red and blonde bangs, hair that normally fell to the other girl's elbows, was tied back in a high ponytail. Grace and Sam were often told they looked like real sisters and loved that, working the story that they were really sisters because of their hair color. Both were tomboys and into the same sort of music, and they stood up for one another and their little brothers. Both were sarcastic, and they were cynic, sharing the same sense of humor, Sam was smart mouthed and Grace was more of an action girl before to act first talk later.

Now they both grinned at one another, "I have the superstars today and you have the pony cadets tomorrow morning and I have the pony tails tomorrow afternoon. Dad just put up the schedule."

Sam smiled, "cool, I lowered the poles for you today but I have to go and help dad with the newbie's."

Grace pulled a face, she didn't quite like the fact that they'd had to learn how to inject needles and both of them agreed that it was gross because they hated doing it. In a stable though you toughened up, did the job and got on with life. "Better you than me," the other girl muttered.

All she got in return was a dry smile before the other girl went down towards the stalls were the three new horses were. The first was a steel grey Galloway mare named Ariel. She had black tipped ears and black stockings with a black mane and tail. She was half riding pony and half Arabian and was a beautiful little mare. Sensible and pretty she would make an excellent show hack once they got her going and they knew she could probably go well in junior jumping she cleared eight centimeters without a hitch.

The second was a riding pony gelding at fourteen hands named Argyle. He was a rich chestnut with intelligent eyes and a beautiful mane and tail with three white socks, one on each hind and the last on the near fore. He was smart and would make a pretty dressage pony to small ladies hack with his beautiful temperament.

The last was a big black they'd named Goliath. He stood at seventeen hands and was a thoroughbred shire cross, the shire being about one quarter of him. he was more thoroughbred than anything, with a stripe broken blaze and one back sock on his off hind leg. He was all legs and baby brained at seven years old as not quiet everything had clicked within his slowly developing mind. But he was intelligent in dressage if slightly temperamental.

Victor was waiting for her with the items for each horse on the tack box in front of Ariel's stall. Sam took the first wormer and noticed that Victor had warmed it up as the sat on a heating pad. It was better that way, went easily down their throats too, less got stuck in their teeth and beneath their tongue for them to spit it out which Swallow had an uncommon knack for doing.

Rubbing it between her hands she saw Victor had clipped a lead to Goliath's headstall and was opening the door for them to step in. She grabbed the strangles injection on her way in and then bolted the stall door behind her. Goliath didn't want her to give him the wormer and sidled away from her every time she reached for him. finally she got her hand on his nose and applied pressure enough for him to lower it to her level. Victor ran a soothing hand up and down the big horse's neck as she uncapped it with her teeth and peeled up the horse's upper lip. He wasn't very happy with that and she pressed her thumb against roof of his mouth, using the gap between his canine, 'bridle teeth', and pre molars. He stilled but his tongue moved restlessly in his mouth before she got the syringe up over his tongue and pointed it to the back of his throat.

Quickly as soon as it empty she pushed the horsed chin up and watched the lump slide down his long throat. He glared at her and she patted the side of his neck in apology before taking out the vaccine. Intramuscular god she hated them. She hated needles in general actually and was often scared she'd inject herself at times.

She looked to her dad and saw him waiting and knew she had to get it over with.

When Sam and Victor finally finished the last of the newbie's health care they recapped the needles and put them in their boxes before dumping them in a sealed plastic container. Throwing the worming syringes in one of the bins.

"Ariel needs her wolf teeth pulled, they're inflamed about the gums, Goliath hasn't got any but his pre molars are sharp and I'm sure if a check his cheeks are cut up. But Argyle's pretty good," Sam said as she wiped her hands on her dirty jodhpurs.

Ariel was the only one of them that stood patiently for worming, but Argyle was the best for getting a needle. She knew either Victor or her mom would take care of the teeth situation as she was only good at shoeing and herbal supplements and medicines really and Grace was good at repairs while Oliver had picked up his parents knack at teeth and Max had his heart set on becoming a veterinarian, he even believed in herbal methods and often talked to Sam about the right mixes for certain ailments.

Victor nodded, "fair enough. How about you go on home and get changed, Grace and Max have fed up and I'll get one of them to help with these guys. I think your mom's making tuna casserole pie for dinner." His green eyes twinkled at her and she smiled brightly at him, before nodding.

Their house was right next door and was a large three story Victorian style house. It had large trees in the garden and a door out of the stables made it easy to get to. The wrap around porch was home to the two dogs of the family, Rasha an over excitable and ever exuberant amber and white border collie and Seb the large toffee colored Labrador.

Rasha was Sam's own dog and let her rub her ears with a big wag of her tail. The drive way was crowded with cars, Sam's dual cab Ute that was old but in good condition, she'd brought it herself. Then there was the family Landcruiser followed by that stable dual cab and then the dual cab of Grace's, both of the girls carpooled one another and the boys to school and different places but most of the time walked. The stables to horse trucks were kept in the parking lot outside the facilities but there was also the two bay angle load gooseneck of the family's that sat in its special under cover spot.

Making her way up to the front door Sam shucked off her gaiters and boots and padded into the house, closing the screen door behind her.

"Sam honey? Is that you?"

Sam wrinkled her nose and voiced her thought to the light voice that was her mothers, "how do you know it's me?" she whined.

"Mothers' intuition," came the light hearted call back. "can you change and then come and help?"

"Ok!"

Fast tracking it up the stairs Sam moved quickly to her room. Each one of the Forester/Satoshi children got their own room, Sam and Grace had the top floor all to themselves and often played rock music as loud as they could and no one in the house minded because to them way downstairs it was barely audible. They shared a bathroom too.

Sam's was the one at the end of the hallway the room on the opposite side of the hallway to the girls bedrooms, was the rec room slash homework room. At the end of the hall on the rec room side by the stairs was the bathroom.

Sam made her way into her room. It was just a little bigger than the average room but normal sized. A low futon was pushed back in the far left hand corner beneath one of the large windows. The blue and black quilted bed had been made, meaning that her mom had been up cleaning. The laundry hamper was empty too. A desk beneath the other window in the right hand corner opposite her bed, kept her laptop and printer. Normally Cd's and DVD's were stacked with books across the desk cluttered with pens and paper but she frowned as she noticed that those too had been tidied away onto the book shelves and then in the standing cd rack by her big bass super woofer stereo. Actually, she looked around the pale blue walled room and noticed that everything was neat and tidy. Her shoes were even lined up on the wall by her door.

That made her suspicious.

Moving to her wardrobe she pulled out a pair of loose faded jeans with frayed foot mouths and holes in the knees, with a thick black belt and then a black baggy off the shoulder t-shirt that read across the front; _sorry if I looked interested, I'M NOT now go away_, in white writing. Dressing quickly she picked out a pair of light blue low cut converse and pulled them on before leaving the room with a plan in mind to figure out what was going on and why her room was so clean.

The kitchen was a nice one, with a very homey sort of feel. Wood panels covered the walls in a matching pin that made up the bench tops, cupboards and pantry. An island in the middle of the spacious room had eight stools about it. her mother moved about the room, her auburn hair tied back in a long braid, with bangs surrounding an extremely young looking face. Wearing jeans and a camisole top beneath her white apron, she looked slightly distracted to Sam.

The sixteen year old moved to the small CD player that was silent and then picking out one of her mixed cd's she slipped it in and turned the volume up then smiled as one of her favorite songs came on. Listening to the introduction she turned to her mother.

"Mom is something wrong? My room was tidy."

**_Yesterday I lost my closest friend/ Yesterday I wanted time to end/ I wonder if my heart will ever mend/ I just let you slip away/ 4 AM forever _**

Bobbing her head to the music she waited for an answer. When her mom passed her salad tongs and pointed to a bowl, Sam stepped towards them and stared to mix the salad together.

"Your room's tidy because I cleaned it, you can see the floor now," Louise answered as she checked the oven and then moved off to do something else.

Sam furrowed her brows at her mother and noticed she was avoiding looking at her Sam's mouth drew down in a frown. "Well I gathered _that_," she rolled her eyes slightly focusing on the salad but looking at her mom out of the corner of her eye. "But why? I mean you only ever tidy my room when something's wrong."

**_Maybe I'll never see you smile again/ Maybe you thought that it was all pretend;/All these words that I could never say/ I just let them slip away/ 4 AM forever_**

"Like when Sammy?" her mother still didn't look at her.

"Like when Apollo was sick with colic and I spent all my time in the stable helping dad make him better," did she just see her mom flinch at the word dad? "and then there was the time grandpa Max died and I stuck about the stable. And then-"

"Okay, okay I get it," Louise laughed lightly, but for once it didn't sound quite right to Sam's well attuned ears. She waited for an elaboration and when there was none she decided to try again.

"So?"

"So what?"

**_Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)/ Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)/ Goodbye, goodbye/ Goodbye, you never know/ Hold a little tighter/ 4 AM forever_**

Avoidance, big time and Sam would have to be dumb not to notice. "mom is there something wrong? Don't lie, your aren't looking at me and you flinched when I mentioned dad."

When her mom set down the forks she was pulling out of the draw, Sam paused sensing that something big was about to drop.

"I had a phone call today from your dad."

Sam froze, dad in Nevada? As in Wyatt? Sure the two still got along well, but still a phone call from her dad was strange.

Louise slowly turned to look at her daughter, "he asked me something." Sam waited patiently as her mom licked her lips slightly and locked brown eyes to brown eyes with her.

**_Maybe one day when I can move along/ Maybe someday when you can hear this song/ You won't let it slip away/ 4 AM forever_**

"He asked for you to go to Nevada," Louise couldn't look away from the large cinnamon eyes of her daughter that looked so much like her father and herself.

"Oh? For the summer? What about Swallow and Rasha?" Sam asked as she put some Italian dressing over the salad then set the plastic bottle down again when her mother didn't answer.

"No Sam," the woman shook her head, "not for the summer, he's asked honey, for you to go live there with his family, with Swallow and Rasha. Chip's too."

The salad tongs hit the bowl with a loud thwack! And bounced harmlessly off the side to land on the bench. "what the fuck?!"

"Sam language!" Louise knew _that_ was hopeless though.

Sam ran a hand through her bangs, "what? Why now? I don't want to go to Nevada! I'd have to change schools!"

**_And I'd wish the sun would never come/ It's 4 AM and you are gone/ I hope you know you're letting go/ It's 4 AM and I'm alone_**

"Because he wants you to know his family too and I think it's a fair thing, River Bend Ranch is your home too, Nevada's a beautiful place and changing schools won't be so bad." Louise leaned against the bench turning to face her teenage daughter.

"But I don't _want _to go, I'm happy here! Can't I just go for the summer?" Sam argued.

"Sam, honey-"

She was cut off by the kitchen door slamming and angry footsteps.

Sam ran out over the road and into central park. She had to get away, she was so angry. How could they both just decide! Hello she was almost seventeen, didn't she get a say? She didn't want to go! Hell she was happy where she was!

Her family was in San Francisco, and she was quite happy with a surrogate dad cause she still heard from the real one as well but they were awkward conversations a lot of the time. For god's sake it was mainly her talking!

**_Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)/ Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)/ Goodbye, goodbye/ Goodbye, you never know/ Hold a little tighter_**

Plus, she didn't want to leave Grace, Ollie and Maxy! She and Grace were seniors this year. Seniors ruled the school and got to do everything! And she had eventing to think about as well as Ollie and Maxy's training and what about her other classes.

There was an echoing roll of thunder and then the rain started to pelt down. Within five minutes she was wet and dripping, but she didn't care. Not even when her converse's started to squeak or when her jeans got slowly heavier. Her hair was starting to stick to her forehead but she still ran.

She loved her friends here, she got along well with people here, it was her space and she was comfortable. She didn't want to start over because this is what she _knew_. And excuse her for being selfish and bitchy for wanting to stay.

Her breath misted before her as she finally skidded round one final corner and found her secluded patch. A large stone bench made by a pretty fountain and sheltered by tall trees made it up. A place she'd been coming to ever since she could removing. She slowed to a walk and moved to the bench, sitting on it and drawing her legs up to her chest.

Burying her head in her knees she could feel herself getting angrier and angrier. She had eventing to think about, she couldn't just leave, and then she had senior year, and _that_ was important!

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she looked at it, a message from her mom. **U r expected there d end of d week, Friday. Packing ur things 4 u. Ur driving to Nevada and are going 2 school there. Love you honey**

Sam's face fell. Her birthday was on Saturday and she wouldn't be with her family for it…

_**4 AM forever**_

* * *

**_Bellaria: Okay there you go, it sort of hooked itself in my brain last night and just kept growing. I must warn you updates and writing won't always be quick, the only reason I got this written up so fast was due to the fact I had a riding accident on the weekend and am stuck at home till further notice. It was at state trial's (dammit) and I ended up in hosptial for three days, I almost broke my neck, but it ended up being damage to the tissue and muscles or some crap, my face is bruised and puffy and I have a wonderful scar that's going to be on my chin but at the moment I can't see it as the stitches are covered by a bandage added to that I have to wear a stupid neck brace for another week. I also have a beautiful collection of bruises that are coming along nice and purple. _**

**_Anyway, feedback is appreciated as I can't just rely on how many hits I get thank you._**


	2. Shut Up Before I Make You!

**Wow another chapter... I'm thinking of making them longer cause I don't want _too_ many chapters, i think thirty five maybe we'll see... anyway thanks to the ppl who have reviewed, Cem214, Free Mustang, horsexxxloverxxx and Sandy45. By the way Sandy I hope it was on time for you, hope the wisdom teeth don't hurt too much... I worked on this all day 4 ya chicky. Also very sad no one actually _knew_ the band or the song i put up.. if you do know I will be extremely happy. - **

* * *

Chapter Two

Shut Up Before I _Make_ You!!

Laughter was the first thing Sam heard when she woke up. The laughter was followed by extremely loud music by one of her favorite bands, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Face Down. She smiled slightly even as she heard the rain pelting against the window in yet another rain storm. There hadn't been one since… she frowned. Turning her head slightly she looked towards the numbers on her alarm clock and then slid an arm out from beneath her duvet. Pressing the small button on the watch she looked at it and scowled.

Moving day.

She didn't want to go, but her mom and dad had packed up the float and her Ute steadily loading away boxes upon boxes of cd's and DVD's, clothes and then all the riding gear and rugs. Sam had refused to touch it and so her mom and Victor had packed it all for her. She was still saying she wasn't going. Her mom had called her dad throughout the last few days and made arrangements for her with him as well as with Gram. It seemed like she wouldn't win this one.

Dammit.

Sighing out a breath she rolled away from the slant of sunlight trying to reach for her and found herself looking up at the ceiling. Glow and the dark stars stretched out in sketchy consolations made by her and Grace when they were eight years old, Grace had a similar one actually. Cinnamon eyes traced over the gap of light coming from over the top of her dark blue drape curtains. Her mom had found them one day when searching through the garage and said that she'd though of Sam's room when she'd seen them. Later on she'd found another set of them for Grace's room.

Now Sam watched the dust motes in the light bob and sway in the light, sparkling for a moment before turning back to barely descript. She could hear loud footsteps and arguing echoing throughout the house and sighed. Grace and the boys had been protesting violently, fighting with their parents about Sam leaving. A conversation just yesterday between their mom and Grace assaulted her mind and made a small smile curl at her lips.

Now she could hear shuffling steps coming towards her room and she pulled the covers up over her head. She was not going to hear another, 'this is for you Sam, don't you want to meet your family?' speeches. No actually, Sam thought vehemently, I want you to just shut up about it!

The door opened with its regular small creak, her dad always said he'd have to fix it. The catch caught as whoever it was closed the door and she ignored it, laying still. Weight on her bed shifted her body slightly and she remained as still and evenly breathing as she could, trying to give off the pretense of sleep.

"Sammy?" a soft voice called, Grace, "Sammy-Lou?"

Her family only nickname made Sam's breathing falter for a moment and it was in that second that something moved over her. Three people crawled into the bed with her.

"We know you're awake Sammy," Oliver's voice came through.

"We reckon you shouldn't be sent off," Max's voice was slightly muffled beneath the cover of the duvet. "You've gotta teach our class, and then there's school, who's gonna help me with my English?"

"Exactly," Grace's voice came over and Sam felt a hand squeeze her own. "What about senior year? We were gonna get back at Mr. Maverick for giving us so much hell, who's gonna help me nail-glue his desk closed?"

A smile touched Sam's lips, "Pam will help."

"She talked!" Max crowed happily, his voice was still muffled.

"Shut up idiot, we heard," Oliver shot back.

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Oliver be nice," Sam broke in.

"Hello! He pointed out the obvious!"

"Shut up!"

"How bout both of you shut up before I _make_ you!" Grace growled.

"Why should we?"

"Yea!"

"You have three seconds," Grace said quietly. Sam smirked slightly.

There was a scramble, a tangle of limbs in which Sam got tossed against her wall with a muffled curse, three large thumps and then her door opened to rushing footsteps, "mooooom!! Grace wants to hurt us!"

"Are you kidding!? She wants to murder us! Dad! Mum!" Oliver yelled as the pounding footsteps got worse.

"You better run twerps!"

"AHHH!!!"

For a moment or two Sam smiled and then she listened to the cacophony of shouting voices that were on the second floor, dad would've just come back from feeding the horses most likely.

"She threatened to hurt us!" Oliver argued.

"You idiot, we were trying to comfort Sam and then you started arguing with each other!" Grace shot back.

"Alright! Alright!" another voice yelled loudly.

Silence.

"So Sam's awake then?" her mom asked the three siblings.

There was a pause and Louise must of taken as affirmation. "Good, Ollie, Maxy go down and get the things off the table."

More footsteps and grumblings, a small bang and then dad's voice, "boys! Just do it and don't break anything!"

More grumbles, but Sam tuned them out, rolling over to her stomach and pulling the covers up over her head again. Preparing herself as once again the door opened and this time she squeezed her eyes shut. She was not getting up!

"Sam honey, no playing possum I know your awake," Louise's voice called out.

Right now Louise looked about the room and saw that it looked pretty empty. The laptop was zipped up in its bag, the printer pack up beside it. The shelves were empty of basically everything, even a few posters were pulled down. Only a few things said, yes, this was Sam's room, enter at your own risk. A smirk so like her daughter's curved her lips at that thought. But right now Sam was being very much like Wyatt, stubborn, ornery and damn right infuriating.

Crossing the room with Victor and Grace behind her they all climbed onto the bed, avoiding the lump that was Sam. "Go 'way," came the muffled annoyed voice.

"No can do princess," Victor broke in.

Louise looked to the love of her life and smiled slightly in gratitude. He was being extremely understanding like she knew he'd be, so caring and empathetic to the situation. Sam didn't realize how lucky she was to have both real parents alive. Grace had lost her mom at an early age to a plane crash due to an engine failure, and poor little two year old Grace had been without her real biological mother.

But Louise was happy that Grace had adapted to calling her mom and often helped the girl pick flowers for her mother's grave every Christmas, birthday and the anniversary of her wedding and death.

She'd always love Wyatt, he was her first love, her sweetheart but then they'd drifted apart. They'd fallen in love to fast and to young and gotten married due to Sam being born, something Louise did not regret for a moment, but it was not meant to be and they'd divorced. Louise had brought Sam with her to her sister, Sue's, apartment until she earned enough to buy her own house.

Soon after, while walking her daughter in central park one day she'd met Victor and the rest was history and wonderful memories.

The door creaked open once again and the boys entered carrying a few boxes and parcels. Louise gently pried the duvet out of her daughter's hands. "We thought, that since you'd miss your birthday with us, we'd give you your presents early."

Sam's cinnamon brown eyes rolled to look up and Louise smiled lightly and encouragingly.

Sam sighed, the insistent and earnest look her mother was giving her made her not want to disappoint her. Sitting up slowly she let her covers pool in her lap, rolling up the sleeves of the hooded sweatshirt she was wearing and looked as the boys sat the parcels down on her bed and then crawled to sit in front of her, creating a small semi circle about her.

Pushing some hair behind a heavily pierced ear Sam reached out for the first present. It was from Grace and oddly shaped. Sam's brows furrowed as she worked on the paper, it revealed a sling shot gun with a cross hair piece on it.

"Well I got it a few weeks ago, you know? Thought we could get back Elsa this year, but…" she trailed off and Sam offered her a small smile.

"Its awesome," she got a smile in return.

"That's not all there is in there, give me some credit!" Sam smiled and started looking through things. A pair of black skinny tube legged jeans with holes in the knees and a belt that looked like it was from a shop in the mall that sold Harajuku things. It was her style and she smirked at that, chains dangled from it and it gave off the impression it was two spiky black belts. The belt buckle was awesome a winged heart in silver an upside down horseshoe was engraved into it with diamante studs as the nails.

"Oh cool, this is so sweet!" Sam exclaimed and as she reached for the next present she decided she'd wear the jeans and the belt today.

The next parcel was from Oliver and in a box. She opened it and her eyebrows rose, fingers running over the spines of the anime DVD's she smiled at the three box sets he'd given her and knew that he'd had to of spent a bit on it.

"That's not all that's in there," Oliver was on his knees eagerly looking at the box in her lap. "Come on Sammy dig deeper."

Sam smirked slightly and then moved the DVD's aside to see three cd's she was planning to eventually buy. Her lips quirked further up and she reached out a hand and ruffled her brother's hair. "This is awesome Ollie!"

He beamed excitedly at her as he returned to sitting down.

"Me next, me next!" Max handed her box gently even though he was practically bouncing up and down on the bed. Sam took it and undoing the bow opened it up moving aside a black lot of fabric covering her view of the contents.

A good amount of bottles, all with labels and corked were lined up in the box in neat rows. Each contained their own herbs and she smiled softly. He'd gone to some trouble putting this together.

"Hey, don't ignore the top part, that was expensive to get done!" Max's voice protested loudly.

Sam reached for the black mass and she realized it was a rug, a cotton one. She opened it up and blinked for a moment. Embroidered in light blue thread, cursive and pretty was, _Samantha Forster-Satoshi_ and then beneath it_, Dancing Swallow_. And then right beneath that was _Star's of the Future!!_

She smiled and ruffled his hair to.

"Wow that's pretty cool," Grace said looking at it. "I want one too! Where'd you get it done?" Everyone looked to Max who smiled looking as innocent as could be.

"Not telling!"

Grace leapt for him, grabbing him in a headlock and giving him a noogie, "twerp! Tell me!"

"No it'll spoil it!" Max protested.

"Guys!" Victor said and both kids frowned, and pouting crossed their arms over their chests.

"She started it!"

"He started it!"

"Shut up!"

Two mouths snapped shut and the sulky looks turned worse. Sam laughed softly and reached for the next parcel. Her hands landed on one that was from her parents. She opened it up and her mouth dropped in surprise. A brand new double bridle! And it wasn't a cheap one she'd been counting away her money to save up for this one!

"Ahh! Oh my fucking god!" Grace squealed and reached out, running her hands of the padded leather reins, "oh wow!"

Sam was so happy but only smiled before reaching for the next thing. A box? She opened it and her eyebrows were in danger of crawling into her hairline, a black… cowboy hat?

"It's a Stetson," her mom put in. "We decided it shouldn't be to fancy, you don't seem to like that sort of thing…"

"It's really nice mom," Sam said steadily and picked it up. It was simple a leather band about the crown of it was the only decorative piece. It wasn't her first western thing she had, her dad one year for her birthday had sent over a black western bridle, it was probably packed away for her too. The tooled leather was soft and had decorative conches that were simple on either side of the fringed brow band.

Setting the hat aside she reached for the last present box. It was two pairs of new converses, she smiled at them, one pair was black and blue tartan patterned and the other was black and on the side had a printed red heart with a dagger through it. Wow, she really would scare her other family. She smirked this brought her converse tally up to fifteen pairs, cool. She wasn't gothic or anything like that, she just happened to like her style because she made it her own. She wasn't sure about how her new school would take it though…

* * *

Rock music was turned up extremely loud on the girl's joint floor as Sam packed away her presents in a black duffle with the rest of her clothes before zipping it closed and sitting the box of herbs on top. The boys had carried down her laptop and stuff to her Ute while she had a shower and got her girly things together. The few pieces she actually owned.

She left her now dry and straightened auburn hair out, combing her fingers through it a few times before turning to Grace who was stretched out on her bed. She had on a black and white camisole top beneath a black hoody, her tube leg dark blue jeans had writing all over them. A black belt much like Sam's new one was situated about her hips, and she wore navy converses on her feet even though she was laying on Sam's newly made bed, her argument was that they were clean. "I don't _want_ you to go, it isn't fair!"

Sam fell back on the bed beside her and looked up at the glow in the dark stars. Her door was wide open and so was Grace's so they could hear the loud song from the cd mix that Grace had slipped in while Sam had been in the bathroom getting ready. "I don't want to go you know, somewhere I think I can see mom's logic. I mean, I want to meet Bryanna, Cody, Jaxom and Reena, they're my family too… and I've never actually seen my dad or my Gram before."

"I know," Grace sighed, "but come on, senior year? We should be out skateboarding and terrorizing the cheerleaders, playing pranks on people. It's our year."

"Sam! Time to go, you have a seven hour drive ahead of you!" Victor's voice yelled up the stairs at her.

"I know," Sam whispered to her sister as she got up, "I don't want to go."

Nonetheless she stood up, crossing the room to pick up her duffle, Grace took the box of herbs and they looked back at the room together.

"Looks kinda empty," Grace frowned seeming annoyed by that fact.

"I know, and my truck looks full, do you know how much crap I own?" Sam said trying to lighten the mood a little.

The smirk she got in return was worth it, "dude you own heaps of shit, it's gonna be weird not seeing it all over the floor."

"Amen to that," Sam snorted and started down the hall. "What do reckon? Do you think I'll scare my family?"

Grace ran a critical eye over her, "nah, you look kinda normal to me."

"That means I'll scare them," Sam smirked.

The wicked grin she got back was evil, "hey maybe they'll send you back!"

Sam laughed at her as they made their through the house. "We can only hope."

"Hey what about music? What if they've only got crap at their mall?" Grace said while opening the front door.

"Well I'll get you to send them to me, I'll transfer money or something to you. It'll work out," Sam shrugged than looked over to where her car was waiting. The boys had also grabbed Swallow and Chip. The cotton rug that Max had given her was thrown over the big horse's back and the black shipping boots were strapped about his legs. Chip didn't care so much, he just wanted hay.

Louise was opening up the gooseneck that had been hooked up to Sam's car. The black and silver float had the Silverthorne logo and the family's horse's names beneath that. In the front of it, it was like an apartment type thing but currently held all of Sam's tack and gear as well as her boxes of cd's and DVD's. Rasha was whining on the end of her lead that Max had clipped her leash to her collar and Seb barked excitedly as the two animals were loaded in the float. Swallow first and then Chips. The extra tack case that swung out on hinges was swung back in after Chip's barrier was closed and Louise and Victor closed up the ramp and locked the storm doors in place.

The windows for ventilation were open wide and she could see Swallow's grey ears flicking about. He thought they were going somewhere special.

Crossing the lawn Sam chucked her duffle in the back seat and set the box of herbs behind the passenger side seat where they wouldn't get broken and where they wouldn't sweat.

Max opened the door and let Rasha jump up in the cab and Sam could see that it was going to rain again as her family lined up in front of her.

The hugs were the hardest and she could feel her nose tingling as a lump rose up in her now bone dry throat. There was a tap on her window as she got in the car. Louise was there and Sam wound down the window for her. The black Stetson was set on her head gently by her mother, "Just give 'em a chance Sammy, they're your family, they deserve to know and love you. And besides, ranching is in your blood, this is a chance to find out how much."

Sam stared at the tan hands on the steering wheel and sighed, "I can only try."

She started up the car, rewinding the window up and pulled out of her driveway to a vigorously waving family. Grace kicked the ground with her converse and jammed her hands in her pockets as she set her jaw… this was going to be hard on them.

Sam flicked one glance to the monitor surveying the horses in the float and then looked up. She'd be herself and stay that way, they had to love her for her.

* * *

After six and a half hours on the road with only one break to walk Swallow and Chip about two and a half hours ago, while letting Rasha go do her thing she was kind of thirsty. Her bottle of water was empty and she had just passed the sign welcoming her to Alkali. Soon though she was nearing the next empty straight patch of road that would lead her to River Bend and she needed to drink.

Her eyebrows rose when she saw a diner with a good car park. She only had to grab a drink and then it'd be back on the road. It was a pretty cool looking place, she decided, as she began pulling in, her car and float got some stares put she could hardly care, she was on a mission.

The sign outside the front read, Clara's Diner. Hmm, western much? A smirk tilted her lips.

Cutting the Ute's engine she unbuckled herself and stretched slightly, pulling the hat low over her eyes to shield it from the glare. Ruffling Rasha's ears she got out and shut the door before the dog could follow and then made her way to the float. Stepping inside the apartment bit she opened the top of the half door that led back inside the horse section. The boys seemed alright to her and she nodded satisfied.

Closing up the float again she decided to make the visit quick. When she open the door to the diner the bell over the door tinkled at her entrance and people darted surprised glances at her.

"Louise?" a voice with a slight twang called out in disbelief.

Sam looked up at the voice and realized it was her that was being spoken to by the waitress holding the pen and pad looking at her with wide eyes. Cinnamon brown eyes widened and she shook her head, people were staring now. "Umm no… you could be talking about my mom though."

The woman, who had the name Clara, sewn into her pink shirt, put one hand to her mouth. The woman's eyes moved from the new pair of converses, the black pair she'd received that morning, to jean's and interesting belt and then the red cami beneath the black Lost Prophets hooded shrug then lastly to the Stetson. There was slight surprise at what Sam was wearing but was soon lost to a bright smile, "oh my she'd look a bit different since I've seen her. But if it isn't little Samantha Anne, all grown up!"

_Oh crap_, Sam tried a small smile while her eyes darted about, she needed to get out of here!

"What would you like honey? It's on the house today."

Sam reached for the chain she'd attached to her wallet and gave it a tug, the black leather slid out of her pocket easily, "it's okay, I can pay for it…"

"Nonsense," the woman scolded. "You consider it a welcome home present, why I haven't seen you since you were barely able to call me 'auntie', now what'll it be?"

Sam's ears were burning and her face was hot with a blush, oh crap, now that was embarrassing a few cowboys in the room snickered. She sent them a cold glare and pulled her hat off her head, pushing some hair behind her ears, her earrings tinkled and clanked together at the movement. And she turned her cinnamon gaze to looking at the chalk board that ran along the wall behind the counter, Sam winced, damn what she wouldn't give for a Chocó frappe with Oreo bits… inwardly groaning she picked the first thing that wasn't coffee and hot. "Uh, iced chocolate, to go thanks."

She slipped the wallet back in her pocket and smiled at the woman. Her brows were sketched high into her hairline, "well that ain't enough… how about I throw in one of my chocolate brownies as well, make something stick to them bones."

Sam shrugged relenting. People stared at her still and when she heard a deep chuckle she froze slightly, "so your Wyatt's oldest kid? The one that went off with her momma when she ran?"

Sam's hand's clenched at the fake cowboy drawl and the suggestion in the words. For a moment, Clara's hands froze and then she continued on doing what she needed to. Deciding to figure out who the person was Sam turned and leaned against the counter to look out over the crowd of people. Her eyes landed on the speaker and a red eyebrow winged up.

The man's blonde hair was slicked back and he had the brightest white smile that the glare from them could be a weapon. He wore a fancy fringed fawn and white western shirt that made him look like a rooster among pigeons, the other cowboys weren't as dressed up but at least the looked like cowboys. The shirt was tucked into his jeans over an extremely round tummy, egg, popped up in her mind, his belt buckle was of rearing horse, inlaid with sapphire and gold. His boots were fancily tooled with elaborate cruel looking rolled spurs. A ten gallon white hat sat in front of him on the table. The ornamental leather thong about the crown matched his belt buckle.

Sam crossed her arms and just stared at him coolly, she had manners though, "I'm her but please, I'd appreciate it if you don't talk about my mother like that."

"Here Samantha, and you hush Linc. You've no business to talk about Louise like that," Clara chided. "Now you've only got a small drive to your daddy's honey. That car looks like it does good pulling that fancy float of yours."

Sam smiled at the woman, accepting the box and the tall plastic cup that held her drink. "Thanks, it does."

Dumping the hat back on her head she walked out of the diner, glad to get away from the 'Linc' person, something about him unsettled her.

Getting back in the car, she greeted Rasha with a pat before pushing the border collie off of her seat. Turning on the car, she sipped at her drink and set the box on the console. Turning her cd up extremely loud she pulled out of the lot ignoring the curious people who stared out the window at her. Like she cared, the intro was a loud cacophony of drums and guitars that had her head bobbing slightly.

_**Life, is floating fast away/But I look, your head is turned away/ From the moment you left I knew that something wasn't right/ But the feeling inside has kept me up all night.**_

Rasha looked out the window at the outside world and watched with interest. Sam herself watched the landscape keeping one eye on the road. Wide open spaces, that's what it was. Stretched out like a great white table cloth, which the edges seemed to pull towards the large rocks and mountain side. It was beautiful she had to admit that. she passed the first ranch and her brow arched at the impressive look of it.

Once again, like the man back at the diner, to fancy for the west. She focused back on the road, she wasn't to far away now she guessed. Music blared in her ears as she flicked her eyes to the screen monitor.

**_You and me are like one heart-beat/You and me are like one heart-beat/So slice open my veins/And let, the romance bleed away. _**

_**From the moment you left I knew that something wasn't right/But the feeling inside has kept me up all night/You and me are like one heart-beat/You and me are like one heart-beat.**_

Sam finally saw the turnoff to River Bend Ranch and took a deep breath, "this is it," she muttered.

Driving slowly over the bridge she saw three kids running from the tree lined river, followed by a bounding border collie. Her music was soothing despite the macabre lyrics as she looked at the ranch. It had a fairly new looking barn and coral with a small paddock and two yards off from the barn. A ten acre paddock held a multitude of horses, a small bay, and a strawberry roan were two horses that jostled for a vantage point at the fence. Her eyes traced over each. There were two bunkhouses, one looked as new as the barn and coral and the other like it had been standing a while but was extremely well kempt, it had four people standing outside of it. the large two story ranch house looked as if it had been renovated recently.

Rasha barked at the black and white border collie that was yapping as it gamboled around the kids excitedly, the brown and white tail of Sam's dog was whipping everywhere in her excitement. Slowly Sam rolled to a stop as the last lyrics for her song played.

_**Back into what I thought I knew, these words inside me, tell me what to do/My heart held, in the palm of your hand/(Forget my name) Now I know, the way to go, this place inside my demented mind/(Forget my name) You saw me bleeding on the bathroom floor/(Forget my name) This time in silence, this time I win/(Forget my name) This time in silence, this time I win/(Forget my name) This time in silence, this time I win/(Forget my name) Now you will feel my pain/Forget my name/Forget my name/Forget my name/Forget my name/Forget my name**_

The stares as she cut the engine were gonna make her ears burn. In San Francisco you didn't stare at people, that was dangerous because some people got violent about it.

Opening the door she stepped out and just caught Rasha before she leapt for the other dog, _Blaze_ that was its name she'd have to remember that. "sit," she ordered her dog. The dog sat. "down."

With something that sounded like a huff the dog did as she was told, "stay Rasha," she commanded and ignored the baleful look she received from her dog. Not quite looking at the people who stared at her, which made her want to get back in the truck and turn back around.

The first kid, a girl, she guessed was Reena. Her auburn hair was much like Sam's except more coppery in color. Wide innocent brown eyes had black thick lashes, and tan skin made her really look like Sam when she was younger. Her hair was tied back in a braid bangs surrounding her face while the rest of it went to about mid back where Sam's reached her hips because it was out. She wore scuffed jean shorts, sneakers and a blue flannelette shirt with the sleeves rolled up, her brown Stetson hung by its stampede string about her neck.

The next looked to be Jaxom from the pictures she'd received. His hair was light brown with coppery colors through it, it was messy and reminded her of a few skateboarders at school he didn't look at her with his wide blue eyes, instead he stared at her shoes. His hat was jammed firmly on his head and he wore jeans and boots, a flannelette shirt with no sleeves was over his white wifebeater shirt.

The last of them from the river was Cody she guessed. He was only three years younger than her and he raised his chin to look at her with the same measured gaze she gave him with his steady grey eyes. Auburn hair was messy and long but spiked. He was almost at her height too. He wore a red shirt, the tails were untucked over his dark jeans and the sleeves were cut off. His hat hung about his neck and as soon as he'd finished surveying her he smiled slightly and she started because that kind of smile was one she'd seen in photo's it looked back at her in the mirror because that smile was just like hers.

Breaking out of her stupor she looked to the first of the cowboys. He was bow legged and old but his blue eyes smiled at her, while his grey eyebrows seemed to almost disappear into his grey hair beneath the beaten up brown Stetson. He looked like a man that had ridden hard and long his whole life. Wearing dusty jeans and a simple checked shirt he looked like one of the old buckaroos in a western movie.

The next was the biggest in height and build. His hair was hidden beneath his grey Stetson but his eyes were wide as he looked at her in surprise. He came across as sort of shy to her. A red t-shirt was draped over his broad shoulders and he wore jeans and cowboy boots. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave her a shy look before looking at his feet.

A red head stood next to him, his hair a bright chillipepper red. His skin was pale and freckled and he hade wide green eyes, he only looked a year or two older than her. He stared at her like she was some alien object and he wasn't quiet sure what to do with her. He wore dark jeans and sturdy boots that were scuffed at the sides and well worn but looked as if they were cared for. His flannelette shirt had that sleeves rolled up and he wore it undone and untucked over a white shirt.

The last of them was a black haired teen, he looked to be about eighteen or so. He was tan and had high cheekbones with dark brown eyes. A brow was arched as he looked over her, she noticed the other one was pierced with a spiked bar, his left ear had a silver hoop in it to. Wearing a black, white and grey flannelette with the sleeves torn off, the ends untucked and the first few buttons undone, with a pair of faded jeans and boots with spurs, it all went with his black hat.

Somewhere a door slammed shut and everyone's head bolted that way, "Samantha!"

The two people that exited the house rushed down the porch stairs, the first was a tall brown haired man with tan skin and dark grey eyes. He looked every inch the cowboy and just like he did in his pictures, lean and tall. Wearing a brick red shirt and work jeans, with his dark brown cowboy hat, he was the first to reach her and swept her up in a great big hug.

Wide eyed she hugged him back and looked over his shoulder at the woman who held a hand to her mouth as she smiled. Grey hair was twisted back in a bun, with tan skin and bright eyes, this must be her Gram. She wore a pink blouse and sensible jeans, she'd been the one to call Sam's name.

"Land's Wyatt, let the girl breath," but as her dad set her back on her feet, the woman engulfed her in a hug as well. Then she was let go.

Her Gram set her hands on her shoulders, "why you look just like Louise! Doesn't she Wyatt? And your so tall! With such pretty hair too." The woman's eyes traveled to Sam's black painted bitten down fingernails and all over her clothes, _oh shit._

She was pulled into another hug, "oh it's so good to see you."

"And you tell me to let her breath," her dad's voice was dry.

"Oh hush you," Gram scolded but pulled away putting an arm about Sam's shoulders to look at her other three grandchildren.

"Reena, Jaxom, Cody, this is your big sister Samantha, Samantha these are your siblings."

Sam decided at some stage she'd have to coax her Gram into calling her Sam.

"Hi," Reena said shyly.

The two boys looked at one another and then nodded to her.

"And then there's Dallas," the old cowboy nodded, "Ross," the shy one nodded. "Pepper," the red head grinned at her, "and Jake," the last tilted his head slightly.

It was then that Swallow decided to make his presence known but let out a loud ear piercing whinny. Sam pulled away and moved to the float, hands flying over the catches and bolts she lowered the ramp and then disappeared into the interior, swinging out the bridle box as the crowd of people moved around to watch. A low whistle came from Dallas, "fancy," he murmured.

Sam hardly heard as she muttered assurances to her big stallion and the small pony. "Easy boy, come on Chippy." Undoing the pony's door she opened it up and untied the disgruntled looking little fuzzball.

Leading him out into the light Swallow gave another high pitched whinny of distress, squealing agitatedly.

"Oh he's so cute," Reena squealed, "can I hold him?"

Sam smiled and handed the rope over and let the two other females present coo over the little pony. "Looks like one of those fuzzy Slocum Ponies," Pepper put in as Sam went back up the ramp.

Swallow's head was up high and his close eye was swiveled to focus on her. he gave an impatient squeal and she arched a brow, "that's enough Swallow," she frowned. Flipping the catch on the door she swung it open and untied the big stallion.

He pranced at the end of his lead impatiently as they stepped off the ramp, the big horse adjusting his swinging stride to walk shoulder to shoulder to her before he planted his feet and gave a trumpeting call.

"Hush you," Sam scolded. "You can act all macho later, now stop being an idiot stallion."

The horse snorted and ignored her, head flung up as high as it could go as he looked about the yard. Running a hand down his velvety neck she patted his chest and looked about to her little crowd. "Stallion?" Cody's face was eager, he liked horses a lot then. "How old is he, how long have you had him?"

Sam scratched her head and gave a shy smile, "since he was a foal, mom bred him. he's about nine now."

"He's nice, can we pat him?" Jaxom asked.

Sam looked to her horse and then back to the three kid's eager looks. She shrugged, nodding, "sure…"

While the kids were happily patting the grey stallion she saw her Gram was absently rubbing a spot behind Chip's ears, "he is rather beautiful… he and his little friend can go in the stable paddock right Wyatt?"

Her dad looked to the horse and then the paddock. "I reckon, but Penny's in season. What's he like about other horses?" he looked to Sam who shrugged.

"He's good, sensible, Chip bashes him up if he's not…" the others seemed amused by that comment as they looked at little Chip.

"Good that's settled."

* * *

Sam followed her Gram up the stairs and down the long hallway, looking absently at all the photographs on the wall, there were heaps, family shots, shots of her, a few of her mom and just general pictures of family it was all pretty cool.

"We thought to put you up stairs with your siblings, right at the end because then you can do whatever you want, play your music loud as your mother says your apt to do, it's the room you used to have…" the woman trailed off as she led Sam right to the door of her new room, it had the bathroom between her room and the next bedroom which was good, it meant she would have her privacy.

The cowboys had all dragged her belongings upstairs and boxes of her things were all about the room. It was as big as her old room, the walls were a light white and she had two big windows that faced first to the ten acre paddock where she could see also Swallow and Chip's paddock and then a trail meandering up behind the ranch. One window was open to let in a breeze stiff and scorching, a desk was pushed up next to the window and had spaces for her DVDs and books, a spinning black office chair in front of it. The curtain drapes were pale blue, the wardrobe was on the door wall. Her bed was a large double futon like back at home and was at present without sheets and a cover for the duvet, it was pushed up against the wall. A bookshelf was just by the door and a bedside table with a lamp was by the head of the bead. In the far right hand corner there was another shelf and this one held horse statues. Dropping the duffle bag she was carrying she moved closer to them.

"They were yours as a baby, there still yours," Gram's voice came and Sam smiled.

"They're beautiful…" she trailed off.

"Well, I'm glad you like them, I better let you get settled in then."

Sam looked back to her and smiled, "thank you. Oh and Gram?" the woman looked back at her, "Sam's fine."

* * *

**Once again I will be happy if you pick up on the slight references in here lol. And if you can tell me who the band and the name of the song in hear I will jump for joy!! till next time... ciao**


	3. Run Ins

**Hey I'm back. After four day's of stalling I'm done yah, because i had pony club and all though i couldn't ride I ended up coaching instead and then I went out and spent some time with mom, she brought me a simese fighting fish which is so awesome its blue, black, violet and pink and is called Yoshi, he lives in a purple tank with glow stones but I still prefer horses and am going stir crazy being stuck on the ground!**

**Anyway enough rambling, the story is what I'm here for... its a good 19 pages long and I hope you like it and it keeps you interested until I finish the next chapter. Thanks to my reviewers to this story, Cem214, Chocolate Kitty, Sandy45... I have a lot of hits on this story but I don't know how many of you have read it and _liked_ it, so I'm hoping you are and I'm hoping I'll eventually hear from you... because i think some people have seen the word oc in the first chapter turned tail and ran which is a bit sad and I hope I'm wrong! **

**On to the story... **

* * *

Chapter 3

Run Ins

The door shut behind Gram and Sam sighed looking about the space around her, it looked kinda bare really and the auburn haired teen decided she should get to work on her new room. "Might as well make it look like mine," Sam muttered.

The first things she set up was her laptop and printer. Having turned on her computer before hooking up her printer Sam clicked automatically on her iTune's and blared Senses Fail as loud as she thought wouldn't bother people. Gram did say she could play it loud after all…

The next thing to be set up was her stereo, a cord attached to her computer and her floor shook until she turned the volume down slightly, that might be _too_ loud, she and Grace got away with it because they were the only ones on their floor so it worked. Her TV, VCR/DVD player was set up and she plugged in her PS3 to them. She made sure to try and set it up so it was in a positing that discouraged her from watching TV while being on the computer. It never worked normally anyway even if it was in the right spot.

The entertainment side set up Sam turned to her boxes of things.

Cd's got stacked away, above the computer and into the CD rack that she found and put back together. DVD's slotted into the slide out draw and when they lost room she set them in small piles at the foot of the CD rack.

When she opened up her book boxes she stood them up neatly in the bookcase. Really why did she bother? She normally ended up pulling them out and scattering them about her room, it was the way she was. She'd once found her favorite Tamora Pierce book in her laundry hamper. And then one of her Rurouni Kenshin DVD's had been found on the top shelf of her wardrobe. Grace was right, she _was _hopeless.

A smirk tugged at her lips as she found her mobile charger and set so she could sit her phone on her beside table as it charged. Her alarm clock was set up by that and then photo frames she found in another box. Clothes were put away and she worked her way through it steadily, her converses were lined up by the door along with her long boots, good and work gaiters and boots, chaps and regular old tennis shoes that she would _not_ part with.

"Whatcha up to?"

In the middle of putting up a poster of Anky Van Grunsven, Sam let out a colorful curse of, "fuck!" As in her surprise she'd dropped it to the ground. Ok, so the squeak had gotten annoying but at least she knew when someone was coming in the door. Whirling she was careful to not step on her poster as she looked to the source of her surprise.

It was Reena and Jaxom, Cody was just behind them and they seemed mildly surprised but not offended by her –ahem- surprised exclamation. Each was looking about the room, that actually _looked_ like a room now. The walls were covered in her posters, anime characters, skateboarding posters, horse posters and general pictures. Her music was still blaring and everything pretty much looked right, aside from the flattened boxes in a pile on the floor.

The poster she'd been putting up was the last to go, and she quickly turned and tacked it up with blue-tac. "Not much, just finishing. Come in if you want," Sam replied to the question that had startled her.

When she turned around, the three of them were seated on her bed and Sam grabbed her desk chair, swiveled it around and sat down to face them. They all looked about curiously about, then Reena's fingers delicately grasped a silver wrought photo frame, "is this your other family?" she asked looking to Sam for a moment and then back to the photo.

"Yea," Sam shrugged leaning over she pointed to each. "that's Max, he's the youngest at twelve, then there's Ollie, Oliver," Sam corrected herself. "He's thirteen and then that's Grace, she's my step sister and is the same age, well her birthdays a month away but…"

The boys scrutinized the photo as well, "you guys look like real sisters," Jaxom commented.

Cody gave her a speculating glance but Sam smiled in return and he looked over it again, "almost like sisters. Remember Gram got her and Reena's grade four pictures mixed up? Now they look alike…"

Jaxom nodded his head agreeing, "we all look like one another too though…"

"Samantha and Reena look more alike though. Sorta like mini me and doctor Evil, ya know?" Cody mused.

Sam's smirked, "nice catch. But Sam or Sammy is fine, that's what everyone calls me," she reached for her computer bag and dug about, when she found what she was looking for she let out a small sound of triumph. It was her laptop control and she switched the song playing until she settled on one she liked.

"Jake reckons you have good choice in music even though you're a city girl," Cody commented and she looked around at him, arching an eyebrow as she set her control on her leg.

"Oh? So what?" Sam smirked. "That's a little prejudiced."

Cody shifted slightly and looked away from her face, "umm…"

The eldest sibling let out a light laugh, "I'm only messing with you Cody," she chided gently. "I don't really care."

He visibly relaxed and shot her a grin and sat more relaxed. "Okay then, that's good. Dad sent us up here to tell you to change into something more –err– easy to move in and make it quick, he's got something for you."

Sam noticed his eyes on her jeans, they were extremely easy to move in but she decided she should change them. They were new after all but nonetheless her eyebrows hiked up and then she nodded, "thanks for the message."

She stood up and so did they and as she pushed her chair back over to her desk they filed out of the door. "See you outside!" Jaxom called behind him then shut the door.

Damn she missed the squeak! So yes it had sometimes gotten annoying but at least she couldn't be snuck up on because even her music was turned up full bore she could still hear the minute squeak. She pouted annoyed.

Then she was sighing as his words sunk in Sam wondered what surprise was awaiting her now. She was beginning to get the feeling that she was going to be kept on her toes a lot here. Shuffling to her wardrobe she grabbed out an old worn and faded pair of frayed pale jeans, exchanging the ones she had on quickly she pulled on her scuffed riding boots and moved quickly for the door.

Gram bustled about the kitchen as Blaze lay on the floor and Rasha sat up watching her bustle around. The woman looked up as Sam entered the kitchen, a warm smile on her lips and kindness in her eyes, "all settled in?"

The teen felt her lips curling slightly in a return as she ruffled Rasha's ears, "yeah."

Gram nodded and went back to her mixing, "you be sure to wear your hat out there. It's pretty hot."

Sam nodded and moved for the coat stand where her hat was residing. Putting it on her head she sent one last wave to her grandmother and passed into the warm outside world, Rasha following behind her at a steady trot, banner of a tail held high. Just about to shut the door, Sam almost caught Blaze's tail as he slipped through the door after the other dog.

Sam rolled her eyes and then shut the door. Her dad was waiting for her with Dallas and Jake, her brothers and sister were standing by them and all looked at her as she snapped her fingers for her dog to heel and crossed the ranch yard.

Rasha obeyed the command happily, she was well trained, Sam had taught her herself with Victor's help because you couldn't have an ignorant, disobedient dog running about horses freely. That kind of thing caused problems.

When she reached them she realized her dad was holding something in his hand. A black halter and lead, her siblings seemed eager but it was hard to read the expressions of the three men before her.

"Come here Sam," Wyatt turned and patted the railing beside him. Curious she stepped where he wanted her to and faced the paddock like he was.

Her eyes roved over each of the horses within the paddock. There were three bays one was gray about the muzzle and eyes a give away that he was getting on in years, especially with that swaying back, but the gelding had a kind eye and good conformation. The other bay was a spirited looking thing with a bright white diamond shaped star and two white socks. The next was a large heavy looking bay that was standing by a chunky and stocky looking black horse with a tall rangy chestnut. Near to them was the obvious alpha, a strawberry roan mare, a blue roan stood by her with curious wing shaped markings on his sides but was a gorgeous thing to look at. A rat tailed appaloosa, a chestnut mare that crowded a patient looking albino gelding with blue eyes. A pinto with a kind eye stood by a small black quarter horse and the last one was a tall looking filly that was black but the dapples starting on her flanks told she wouldn't stay that color.

Wyatt watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye waiting for the reaction he needed when she looked at each horse. When she gazed the longest at the black filly he could swear the thing looked right back at her. Frowning at his nonsensical thought he approved at the same time.

Sam felt him shift slightly beside her and flicked her eyes in his direction for a moment before looking back at the paddock. Finally he spoke like she guessed he would, "your stallion isn't quite ready for ranch work," he stated quietly, his own eyes looked to the paddock and he looked at the filly his eldest child was looking at. "You have your own horse here as well and she's yours."

He sat the lead and halter on the fence between them and she looked at it.

"You're giving her the filly?" Jake's voice was incredulous. "I only got on her the other day!"

Sam looked at him and frowned. So what? She'd dealt with spirited horses, Swallow being one. In his words was a challenge and she liked challenges. Her hand closed about the halter and she vaulted over the fence. The movement drew slight attention from horse and human alike but that didn't deter her.

The filly watched her with a curious eye but didn't move from her spot. Instead the horse watched as the other horses shuffled towards Sam in hopes she had something and she rubbed the diamond shaped marking of the little bay, allowed the roan mare to sniff her pockets and then the chestnut mare to sniff her palm. She was careful about that one as it seemed to her as if she was blind. Rubbing the ears of it softly in reassurance she allowed each to drift back to something else giving the filly and herself some room standing eight feet away from one another.

Folding her legs carefully beneath her Sam sat and steeled herself for a long wait, she could be sitting on her ass for a while.

The others watched the scene from the fence and Wyatt slightly smirked at the girl's form as she sat. "Definitely your daughter," Dallas spoke up gruffly, "she's as stubborn as you."

Wyatt took no offence to the comment and instead inclined his head to the old cowboy as his other three children sat by the fence to watch their big sister. He looked to Jake who glared fiercely at the paddock and the two beings so focused on one another. Sam didn't look at the horse but she was extremely aware of her, but the filly was completely focused on her, delicate nostrils flaring as she tried to catch the scent of this strange new person with the long mane of auburn hair.

"You saw her stallion," he said quietly, leaning forward on the railing and focusing on the two as well. "She's smart, her mom said he's a handful, high strung and flighty. She backed him young, got him going. She can handle the horse that was picked for her."

Indeed the mustang filly had been picked for her. Wyatt had wanted to get her the right horse and when Bryanna had given him a call about the filly that had been brought in he'd taken a drive up to see it. In the pictures Sam was bright and spirited like her mom. Stubborn her mother said, just like him. She needed a partner she could work with and for a long time he had wanted Sam to come up. Bryanna and he discussed it many times but until recently it hadn't been possible. But he wanted to give her an even ground to get her feet here.

Her stallion and pony were the first step, her old room another and now the filly. Slowly he knew Sam would make her place here because she was a mix of both Louise and himself and now he settled into watch with the rest of them. Watch and wait.

Sam flexed her legs, hands and looked at her watch, moving aside a leather band about her wrist to see the face. She'd been sitting for around two hours now and the filly had only stepped forward once. Black ears tipped and swiveled towards her. Swallow let out a whinny of impatience that seemed to her like he saying, _what are you doing over there? Come pay attention to me!_

Sam caulked her head and the filly looked back at her curiously. Soft sounds reached Sam, the filly was licking her lips, puzzling out the mystery of this strange human who was acting weird. Sam allowed herself to slump slightly forward, she was tired but determined and sitting here she could rest so she closed her eyes.

Sounds ten minutes later made her aware of her surroundings her ears could pick up a shift, a slight change and hoofbeats?

Not daring to open her eyes, Sam instead waited. It could be the wrong horse, it could be her imagination. Something lipped at her hair and she cracked her eyes open slightly. Black shining coal black, delicately shaped head and curious eyes. Her hands were investigated along with the rest of her and she opened her eyes.

The filly seemed to wait and watch when done with her scan and Sam ever so carefully raised a hand and set it on her forehead. Leaning into the contact the filly sighed and Sam took that as a cue. Standing up, slowly and carefully she stepped purposefully away, hoofbeats unsure but steady followed her. That a girl.

Sam looked up and could see the pride in her dad's eyes, he seemed pleased. The old cowboy Dallas had his eyebrows raised but a smile sketched its way across his lips and Jake was stoic looking.

Her lips pressed in a firm line, she would rather some kind of reaction other than the ones he'd given her. What had she ever done to him?

But she could see in each cowboy's face. This was a test for her and she reached out tangling her fingers in the long mane of the filly.

Her dad nodded, "now, you ride her."

Even she could see the minute eye narrowing of brown eyes and the sour face before it was replaced with a mask. Sam nodded to her dad pushing thoughts of Jake and his problems from her mind. She stuck the filly's halter on and went through the gate that Reena held open for her.

"You brought that bridle?"

Sam looked to her dad and nodded in affirmation, "I think mum packed everything from the tack shed that she could find."

He nodded and squinted in the direction of the truck, "Jake take her down to the river, Sam grab that bridle."

Both teens eyebrows rose but they nodded anyway. The others looked like they were going to follow but Wyatt's slight shake of the head stopped them, "she's goin' it alone, only Jake is goin' with 'em."

Sam saw the boy's frowns, "but dad! We wanna see her work with her!" Reena protested, her lower lip pushed out in a pout as she crossed her arms.

Sam now at the float while Jake grudgingly held the filly's lead, shuffled through her stuff and spared a small glance at the group that Dallas was walking away from shaking his head the whole way. Reena was pouting and the boys had their hands jammed in their pockets and were scuffing their boots in the dirt. Wyatt looked at his youngest with a look Sam found herself slightly wishing he'd turn on her.

Looking away she searched for her bridle bag and only found Swallow's old working bridle. She frowned and took out the keys to the spare tack box from her pocket. She spared a small glance to Jake, "just a sec."

A grunt was her only answer and she decided she'd take that as an okay. Hurrying into the float she could reach the tack box by slipping beneath the barriers. It was in there and it glimmered in the half light. Making her way back through she was careful exiting the float so as not to spook her.

The cowboy that held the lead ran an eye over the bridle and his lips flickered for a moment before he handed her the lead.

The gesture was clear, _I might be here, but I'm not doing it_.

It was no skin off her nose, she wanted to handle the filly by herself. The filly just picked the bit up and let Sam do the rest without fuss, she'd had it done before and it was nothing new. Rubbing at the freeze brand mark on her neck Sam shouldered the halter and looked up to see Jake already heading back in the direction of the river.

She stuck her tongue out at his back and clucked to the filly, she'd just have to grin and bear it.

Sunlight dappled the water and he stood waiting by the river. Shimmering light broke it up as it ran over the rocks and she looked at him curiously. "Lead her into the water," he pointed to the stream and Sam frowned at him but did as she was told, setting the halter on the bank noticing that he picked it up even as she did.

"I swear girl, if this is just to make me look stupid I will murder him," she whispered to the horse as the water made its way into her boots, to her socks to start from the ankle of her jeans to about mid calf height. Water slick stones slid beneath her boots and she took a hold on the filly's mane to stay upright cursing Jake Ely as she went.

"Stop," Sam drew the horse to a halt and looked over her shoulder at the tall guy. "Do you know how to vault?"

Sam nodded.

"Good," his eyes narrowed at her, "this is your first mount on her. Make it something you remember to repeat with her as she gets older." _Don't screw up_, she could tell that from his words and instead of retorting she turned to the filly.

Standing facing her tail, her left hand fisted in mane halfway up the horse's neck and with the soft leather split reins in that hand, she closed her eyes. For a moment she used her senses, she could hear her own pulse, the soft sounds of the river and breeze ruffle through the trees. For a moment she took it all in and waited.

A soft sigh came from the horse and she swung up. Running a hand up the black's neck she landed softly. For a moment she saw the look of surprise on the guys face before it shuttered off, like a door slamming he cut off all expression to her. It was then that she pieced it together. He didn't trust her! ugh, jerk! He didn't even know her!

The horse for her part stood still even when there was a grating sound from the bank. She looked up and saw Jake had turned. For a second he looked over his shoulder at her and arched a brow. "Your dad's gotta see you on her," he turned back and Sam sighed.

Squeezing her calves lightly she let the horse step off and work her way up the bank. Her horse, another one, she'd have to take a picture on her phone and send it to Grace. She hoped she called tonight. Sam already felt homesick. Rubbing the filly's withers she walked her sedately after the cowboy.

The others seemed slightly surprised at seeing them back so soon and she smiled slightly beneath the shadow of her hat.

Stopping the horse right in front of her dad she saw him nod slightly at her. "She's yours, pick a name for her. You're riding her this week to help us in the spring cattle drive we leave day after tomorrow."

Sam nodded a bit surprised they hadn't named her? a frown marred her face slightly as she walked the horse away to think easier. The filly was black but wouldn't stay that way, and she didn't want it to be extravagant. Her brow furrowed slightly as she squeezed her legs for a trot. It was smooth and easy much like Swallow's in a sit trot. Neck arched the filly flexed it slightly and then drew it back testing her ground.

Finally she stopped she could think on it over night she didn't have to name her right away. As she slid off she rubbed the horse's ears standing on the ground. "I think…" she looked into the horses brown eyes that stared back at her calmly. Her younger siblings looked at her expectantly and she smiled slightly twirling the filly's forelock between her fingers a moment, "I'll sleep on it."

Her dad's amused chuckle was short and quick while the kids audibly groaned. "Good choice," Wyatt nodded.

She'd passed another test and she hid her pleased smile beneath the brim of her hat.

Jake shifted slightly and they looked to him, Sam out of the corner of her eye watched as he nodded slightly to her dad, "I better get going. Chores," Wyatt nodded. Jake looked to the kids, "see ya squirts," they rolled their eyes and then he looked to Sam. "See ya brat."

Her eyebrow arched and she stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her horse, she was not going to dignify that with an answer.

She was leading the horse back to the paddock with the others as his pickup bumped across the bridge.

* * *

Sam lay stomach down on her bed reading a book she'd brought just the other day, her jeans had been whisked off by Gram and she was back in the jeans she'd been wearing earlier. Flyleaf played in the background at a rate of decibels and her door was opened slightly which Rasha had taken full advantage of and deposited herself on the white carpeted floor.

She was halfway through a paragraph when she felt someone watching her. She looked up with an arched brow and saw Reena. She hovered uncertainly on the threshold and laying her book on a pillow Sam patted the bed beside her and reached for the control, turning the volume down.

Reena padded across the room and sat down on the space offered before stretching out and laying next to her. For a moment all Sam could hear was Lacey Mosley's voice fill the silence. But she waited and felt Reena shift beside her.

"You handled the filly really well, dad's really happy with her reaction to you."

Sam smiled tracing her hand over the coverlet. "That's good to know."

Shifting again, "Sam? Do you like it here?"

Pushing some hair behind her ears Sam smiled, "do you want me to like it?"

"Yes!" came the quick answer and then she saw out of the corner of her eye the girl blush. "Umm what I mean is- yea, it's cool to another girl around. I mean we heard dad talk slightly about you, saw your pictures and stuff but we don't know about you."

"Ahh," Sam smiled. "What would you like to know?"

As if on cue there were more footsteps and the boys crept in. She motioned to the bed and the crawled on to lay beside the two girls, Cody next to Sam and Jaxom next to Reena. "lots," Jaxom said.

"Okay…" Sam smirked. "Ask away…"

The questions were strange but she answered each easily, laughing slightly at some of them and asking them questions in turn. Half an hour later they went quiet.

"No more?" Sam asked curiously and looked at each.

Cody shook his head, "I don't know. When we found out you were coming we didn't want you too," he saw Sam's eyebrows rise and she couldn't stop the slightly hurt expression from flickering across her features. He held up his hands quickly, "not anymore, your nice we know that now. Its just, dad…"

Sam understood then and shook her head slightly, "I didn't want to come here, I love my family and I was happy with just phone calls. But I like it here I guess, its different," _your homesick_, she told herself, she really was too. Still she reassured them, "your dad loves each of you and he wants to know me. A handful of calls don't cut it I guess."

They nodded in an agreeing way. Sam looked at her watch, "wow five thirty already?"

Reena bounced up excitedly up to all fours making even Rasha look up at her, "mum should be home soon! Awesome!"

"One question I have for you guys," they looked to her and Sam looked sheepish. "I need to go to the mall tomorrow, you guys wanna come for the ride and show me where it is?"

They exchanged looks and then grinned, "Sure!" Jaxom exclaimed. "After chores and stuff we can go."

"'k cool," Sam got up and stretched slightly. The others sat up on her bed and watched as she moved about the room to set another cd into the player. Senses Fail blared out of the speakers. As it came on, something caught her eye. It was her filly, her head held high she seemed to scent something before she threw up her head and gave a throaty whinny.

Exploding into fiery bucks and rears she galloped about the paddock and encouraged the other horses to do the same. It was so sudden a change in her, playful and sassy she wasn't rude, just excited.

It was like a storm she'd seen when she was ten. Sitting up in bed with Grace and watching as the fierce winds blow and whip at the trees, while lightening forked through the sky and thunder clashed as hail bounced on the roof making it hard to sleep in such racket. It had come up so fast and abrupt it was amazing. Dad had called it something, a certain kind of storm. She pursed her lips, thinking.

"Sam?" Reena's voice broke her thoughts, "is something wrong?"

A reassuring smile tilted her lips, "nah, just thinking. The filly, does she do that often?"

The others looked out the window at the horse, "I guess," Cody spoke slowly. "She's a bit spirited I guess."

Sam nodded her head slightly and that's when it came, "Tempest!"

"Tempest?"

The perplexed looks she got were hardly paid attention to as she touched her fingers to the glass, "her name."

"You're calling her Tempest?" Reena wrinkled her nose slightly, "what's that?"

A smile touched the elder's lips, "a storm, a big one."

"Tempest's temper," Cody sang slightly and she grinned at him.

"Exactly."

"Tempest in a teapot," Jaxom offered.

Sam smiled bigger and repeated what she said before, "exactly!"

"Hey look, mum's home!" Reena jumped up and so did the others, scrambling for the door they hurried down to greet their mother while Sam sorted through some things.

Ok she was stalling.

But she didn't no about this part of it, was she ready to meet her step mom that took her mothers place so soon? She shook her head and sighed. Not really.

But then, she should meet her. her mother had mentioned that she really was a nice person, she was director at Willow Springs Horse Center so she couldn't be bad really.

Deciding she wasn't going to find out holed up in her room, Sam set her shoulders and headed out of the room.

Her dad was in sitting at the kitchen table while Gram ordered the kids to set the table and pull out glasses and plates. A pretty auburn haired woman stood in the kitchen. Her blue eyes were bright and wide, long lashed and pretty. Her hair was drawn back into a tight business like French braid and she wore a khaki uniform as she relaxed leaning against the bench. It was a nice family scene and as Sam stepped down the stairs she felt as if she was ruining it.

She was an outsider here, an eventing city girl who wasn't accustomed to ranch life, who didn't even know these people and– god the stair just creaked!

Eyes drew up towards her and she shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure whether to flee back up to the sanctity of her room or face the woman who stared at her.

"B this is Sam, Sam this is my wife, Bryanna, your step mom."

Sam shifted nervously as blue eyes continued their stare. Locking her own cinnamon orbs on the woman she waited.

A smile, bright and friendly alighted the woman's lips. "Hi Sam," her voice was warm and welcoming like Sam's mom's voice.

Sam smiled slightly in return, unsure of her just yet. "Hi."

"Sam would you mind finishing off this salad for me?" Gram asked and happy for something to do to get away from the awkwardness of the situation Sam stepped up and started doing something to take her mind off the blue eyed woman.

She never saw the stare passed between her father and step mother and no one else said anything.

Cody saw the look and worried at it. He knew that there was a sharp gap of time between their father and his mother getting together after she and her mother left and could tell that Sam slightly resented her. He guessed in her shoes, he would too. But in the beginning he didn't want her coming, and he hadn't talked to his parents for two days after they told him that she was coming.

But now she was here, he liked her individuality, her fashion sense was slightly different from what he was used to about the ranch and she seemed like a generally nice person. She hadn't shoved him off because of the situation and she was friendly to them even if there was a shadow of pain behind her eyes each time she looked at their father interacting with himself, Reena or Jaxom and supposed that while she loved her step-dad, it was different when it came to her real father, someone she didn't even know really.

But he continued setting the table and didn't say a word except to pray that his mother and Sam would soon talk things out. he could get used to having an older sister.

* * *

The phone rang after dinner and Cody answered it as Sam helped Jaxom and Reena gather up the dirty dishes and sit them by the sink whilst the adults talked over coffee discussing the ranch and other things. "Sam!"

Looking to Cody she arched a brow and he held out the phone receiver. "She says her name is Grace, your step sister right?"

Sam smiled excitedly and he smiled slightly as she bounded across the kitchen floor to take the phone. "Thanks Cody! Heya Gracie!"

"**What's up Sammy-babe**?"

Sam sat on the floor by the phone and settled in for a talk, "not much, how's it going on your end?"

"**I miss you dammit!** **God come home already!**" came the whine at the end. "**The boys keep walking up to your room and sighing, its driving me insane! I need someone to talk to!**"

Sam snickered slightly, "you have a phone," she pointed out.

"**Wiseass, you know what I mean!**"

"Yeah I do," Sam twirled the cord between her fingers.

"**So how is it there? Are they scared of you? Are they gonna send you home?**"

Sam thought for a moment, she really hadn't been there long enough. It was good though, her family was nice, but she still had to figure out Bryanna and Jake, that cowboy was just annoying her thoughts now.

"**Sam?**"

"Oh sorry, spaced for a second," Sam rushed out realizing that was exactly what she'd done. "Anyway I don't think so and not anytime soon I think… and for the first question, it's to short to tell yet," she was extremely aware of the three little eavesdroppers in the room. "I'm missing you guys too, has dad got you filling in for me?"

"**Nah, mom's gonna take it over for you**."

"Cool."

"**_Hey let me talk to Sam! I miss her too you know!_**" Oliver's voice yelled loudly over the receiver and Sam pulled it slightly away from her ear.

"**Twerp, here! Don't hog it!**" there was a shuffling noise and then a muffled curse. Sam snickered.

"**Sammy!**" Oliver's voice chirped happily, "**has Swallow scared them with his stallion act?**"

Sam laughed lightly, "no! he's been good, Chip keeps him in line. And guess what Ollie?"

"**What!? They're sending you home? You're coming back? you're gonna run away**?"

Sam laughed again, "no, I have a new horse. Her names Tempest."

"**Sweet, how high, how old and can you email us a picture**?"

"fifteen one, two and yes," Sam laughed again.

"**_Don't be a phone hog Oliver! I wanna talk to Sammy too!_**"

Sam laughed and Oliver groused angrily for a moment and then handed the phone over to the baby of the family. "**Sam!**" Max's voice was excited and she would chance a guess that he was bouncing up and down. "**Are you coming home yet?**"

Sam laughed lightly again, "I've only been gone a few hours Maxy."

"**Feels like forever,**" he groused. "**Hey I finally figured out how to make the mash all by myself!**"

"**_Liar! I helped you!_**"

"**Did not, shut up Oliver what do you know!?**"

"**_I know your lying!_**"

"**_If all you two are going to do is argue, hand the phone over to someone else!_**" Sam could hear dad's voice in the background and muttered cursing before his warm voice flowed into her ear. "**Hello princess.**"

"Hey dad!" Sam chirped happily. Cody, Jaxom and Reena all started and even her dad, Bryanna and Gram turned the heads to look at her, not that she noticed at all she was too happy that her dad was on the phone. "I hear you've got mom replacing me for lessons."

His low chuckle streamed into her ears, "**yes princess, she's enjoying doing it I think and it's only the first lesson.**"

"Wait until she reaches the fifth lesson and then see what tune she sings. By about midweek next week they all realize they're off school and start to hound me."

"**Too true Sammy I hear you've got a new horse**."

"Yea, Tempest. She's nice you'd like her," twirling her fingers through the phone cord Sam crossed her legs and picked at her shoelace tucking the phone between her shoulder and her ear. "So is mom there?"

"**Trying to get rid of me so soon? You wound me princess.**"

She scoffed, "dad! You are such an idiot, is mom there or not?"

"**Yes she is, here you go**."

"**Not so bad is it, hmm?**"

"No mom, but if this is gonna be one of those, 'I told you so' thingy's, put Grace back on the phone," Sam rolled her eyes. Her nails were chipped and the paint was flaking off, she frowned at them.

"**No honey, just try to enjoy it hmm? The first day hasn't killed you.**"

Thinking about the diner, Clara and the Linc guy, to this afternoon with Jake and his whole superior attitude and city girl vendetta she thought silently, _no, not yet it hasn't._ instead aloud she sighed, "whatever."

Her mom's laugh was her only answer.

* * *

Sam woke the next morning nice and early. The sun was just starting to come up as she changed into comfy jeans and a loose jersey. Her boots were down stairs in the kitchen having needed to be dried off and she patted her leg for Rasha to follow as she quietly made her way down to the kitchen. The stove said it was a quarter to six and she gave a dry smile at herself for getting up that early on her birthday of all days.

Pulling on her still slightly damp boots and fastening her hair back into a long braid she took her hat from the coat stand and let the dogs lead her out into the cool darkness of morning. Horses nickered at her as she crossed the ranch yard and the dogs ran about sniffing the night's leftover scents. Their tails wagged at full mast and they followed her as she headed to Swallow and Chip's paddock.

The big grey greeted her with a quiet whuffle low in his throat and a head lower for a scratch behind velvet ears. He sighed contentedly at her and gave a slight nudge while Chip ignored her and went on happily eating his hay.

Leading the stallion from his paddock she took him to her float and quickly tacked him up for some work. In the round yard he stood still for her to get on but as soon as her butt touched the seat, he moved off. settling her weight back she made him halt and then take as many steps as he took forward, backward. He complied as he worked the bit between his teeth.

It was then she noticed faint stirrings from the house and from the bunkhouse. It was minute so she hardly paid any attention instead working on getting Swallow relaxed enough to work. In sit trot figure eights she heard the door to the cowboy's bunkhouse open.

"Blaze?" Pepper's voice came questioning, "and Sam's dog? What are you two doing out?"

She tuned out but Pepper stared at the dogs in puzzlement, he was sure he saw those two go into the house last night. A tap came at his shoulder and he looked back at Ross who nodded his head to the round pen. It was then that he could hear the hoofbeats, someone was up before them? At first he thought it was Wyatt but as together they headed for the pen, they realized it wasn't their boss.

Dallas could tell that it wasn't any ranch horse and guessed straight away who it was. The big grey floated over the ground as if he was flying and the girl rode him like one of those fancy bigwigs on TV. Together horse and rider flowed through each movement, he could see the champions in those muscles and communication. It would make a good ranch horse one day, if only they could get that loco nature out of it. So then again maybe it was better suited to what the girl wanted it to be. A competition horse.

The door to the ranch house opened and Wyatt walked out onto the porch to see the horse and his daughter pop into a canter. It was fancy the way it did it, lifted its knees high to its dropped nose and with a flourish it brought it in for the next count. Sam barely moved, keeping with her horse as she tuned her watchers out.

She halted the horse with a slight shifting of weight and he stood before pivoting on his hindquarters and popping into a canter on the other leg. He was large and fancy in each move unlike the loping quarter horse gait.

This was elegant and flowing, fancy and impressive all in one package as Sam once again halted the horse with the barest of movements.

The door behind him opened quietly and Bryanna was there to see as Sam ran a hand up the great velvety neck and breathed out with the big animal. "they're good," Bryanna whispered to him and he nodded.

"Her mother said they're champions," he murmured and she could see the glint of pride in his eyes as he did so.

"I believe it," she said softly.

He nodded and stepped down towards the round pen. As Sam dismounted from her stallion easily. She was talking softly to the horse and stroking his mane and neck as she talked softly to him. Wyatt smiled slightly, hidden beneath the brim of his hat.

"Hey boy? What do you think? A little while longer and we can try the double bridle, hmm?" she patted his shoulder and ran up his stirrups, loosening his girth and taking the reins from over his head.

"Sam," her head whipped around and she saw her dad walking over to her. he nodded a head over at the paddock of saddle horses, "feel like coming out to see everything?"

She looked out toward the paddock where Ross and Pepper seemed to be having trouble catching Tempest. She turned and smiled, "sure but what about a saddle? I don't mind riding bareback at all if it's a problem…"

Wyatt nodded his head slightly, "I think we can work something out. We better get going then."

She nodded and watched as he turned back to Bryanna, smiling down at the short woman with an easily read expression in his eyes. She felt jealousy course through her, that could have been her mom… then she shook her head and chastised herself, that wasn't the way to think! Her mom was perfectly happy with Victor and she knew that… wishing for something that wasn't going to happen wouldn't work, because each of her parents were happy and she should respect that. she really was just looking for a reason to hate Bryanna and she shouldn't because she hardly knew the woman. She made her dad happy, they had three children together and were still in love, her own mother had two as well and then adopted Grace and had Sam as well. Each never felt starved or unloved for attention, they were all happy, healthy and well cared for. She'd just have to get to know Bryanna, slowly though.

Turning away Sam led Swallow out of the yard and over to the float, untacking him and putting on a light shade coat. It'd heat up soon she could tell and she didn't want him to over heat. Maybe when she came back she could take off his rug.

That in mind she set him loose and headed over to the paddock to help Ross and Pepper as Bryanna bumped across the bridge in her BLM truck. The two cowboys glared at the rebellious filly as she let Sam walk easily up to her and put on the halter, while she'd turned tail and ran ever time they'd gotten near.

Sam smiled at them brightly as she led the filly past them and took her to the hitching rail. They led out the big bay, a rangy chestnut and the blue roan just as her dad emerged with two saddles and a bridle the other two headed into the barn while Pepper did the talking between them. The two of them were obviously good friends and Pepper didn't seem offended that the taller cowboy didn't talk back, the red head talked enough for the both of them really. Dad nodded his head after them, "Pepper's a good kid, just turning nineteen said he got sick of Ohio and the winter there. He's one of the best ropers I've seen and a good worker once he gets stupid notions outta his head." Sam remembered seeing something on TV about ropers. Calf ropers with their strange contraptions on the horses bridle, but she'd enjoyed watching it with Grace hauled up on the couch with some popcorn and soda as they watched with rapt attention.

"Ross, he don't talk much. Got a speech problem, but he's strong and a good worker, good with horses and knows his stuff. Dallas is our foreman, his arthritis makes it hard for him to do much anymore but he still gets on occasionally and he's the best of the best. Amigo, the old bay, was his horse and retired just last year."

The teenager nodded her head and took the Navajo blanket he offered her before slinging the black western saddle up onto the filly's back. She didn't startle at all and Sam was careful about doing up the cinch, making sure it was nice and snug by slipping her hand beneath it and her side. She retrieved her bridle and put it on the horse.

The other two just emerged as she was checking the filly's hooves for stones and things, she frowned and looked at her bare feet. Lips thinning she eyed the chipping about the wall and the small stone bruises starting up as small red marks on her soles. It was true she was a horse of the wild and if she could just rasp it down she'd be content to ride her out for the morning but that could make her foot sore and they were going on the cattle drive as well which meant she wouldn't be very happy if she was barefoot and traveling over hard terrain.

It couldn't hurt to shoe her when they got back and she ran a finger along the wall of her hoof. Cold shoeing was quick and effective she had her gear for shoeing in the car and she wondered what size Tempest would be finally deciding on one as she straightened. The others were just finishing up, she only had Swallow's size in shoe, Chip didn't need any but Sam knew the filly would if it was going to be tough going.

She'd have to ask her dad later but knew for now the filly's hooves would be alright as she didn't seem uncomfortable when Sam pressed the sole of one hoof lightly. So she took that it'd be alright, but when she got back she'd have to fix it.

Checking the cinch one more time she got on and realized the slight differences between saddles, like with a jumping and dressage saddle, opposite in so many ways, this was another one all together. It was well loved and looked after, comfortable to sit in and she discovered her legs hung slightly more forward then normal.

When the others got up they clattered over the bridge together and she sat back to admire it all from a filly who walked proud and free stepping in her long swinging walk.

Pepper rode beside her and pointed things out, extremely happy to answer her questions and then Ross halted and they all stopped. When the big cowboy pointed Sam followed his direction. For a moment she couldn't see anything, then a slight faint movement and there they were, the wild horses. A sea of blacks, bays, sorrels and roans.

Her breath caught and she looked over each one, picking out a golden buckskin and a paint mare scratching one another's withers as foals a few months old wobbled around them. The buckskin's foal was coal black and Sam looked between her filly and the small wobbly foal. Tempest champed at the bit, tugging and tossing her head into the air. Sam scratched her withers in an attempt to settle her. The head tossing stopped but her body trembled with anticipation.

A loud trumpeting call broke out from the horses and her eyes sketched across the herd before a flurry of silver raced about the bunch. The horse moved with liquid grace, flowing about the herd in a blur of fine molten silver legs. Then he faced them pawing at the ground and snaking his head in a motion Sam had only seen Swallow do a few times. A stallion call rocketed deep from the chest of the grey and she was mesmerized by his dark eyes in his snowy forelock, it was like looking at Swallow.

The filly beneath her gave a loud whinny and yanked for her head. Sam pushed her sideways with her right leg, forcing her to cross them over and think about the pressure she wanted to get away from rather than bucking her rider her off.

Circling her until she came quiet Sam looked up in time to see the last of the herd whip out of sight over the hills and she sighed out her breath in a great whoosh as the stallion stared down at her and then gave one last call before rearing and disappearing.

The filly's body trembled beneath her and Sam ran a hand down her neck in reassurance.

Wyatt looked back at them together with Ross and Pepper, "I guess she didn't forget her mommy or daddy then," Pepper stated.

* * *

Sam rode back into the ranch yard with a slightly better understanding of the ranch and took her tack into the barn's tack room. She found shoes that she could shape to the right size for the filly before doing it.

Wyatt was slightly impressed by her knowledge as she rasped off the chips and cleaned the foot up before shaping the shoe to fit and nailing it on. She was methodical and knew what she was doing and the filly stood quiet with the gentle handling. When he and Jake had done it, she'd fussed and they'd only manage to rasp her feet down. But that was a few weeks ago when they'd first got her from Willow Springs and right now she was more focused on making sure each shoe was comfortable.

Finishing quickly but with a good job well done she led the filly to her paddock and set her loose with the others.

Her dad packed up the tools for her as she removed the farrier apron and set it in the box with her shoeing tools. He didn't ask her where she'd learnt but he seemed to approve of her job and helped her put them in the open compartment situated on the outside and watched as she locked it closed before together they made their way into the house.

The kids were up and just about to exit the house when they came in. They all grinned at her, "it'll only take a while for us to finish chores and then we can show you where the mall is!" they hurried outside on Reena's parting words.

Sam found herself in a chair with some pancakes and a mug of coffee which she thankful finished off before excusing herself to go and have a shower. When she was finished the kids just arrived and she went to change.

Her bed was made for her and she smiled at her Gram's thoughtfulness before pulling on a pair of baggy blue jeans, ripped in the knees and frayed about the hems, badges decorating the sides of them, pulling on her belt she grabbed a black camisole and a pair of fingerless blue and black elbow length gloves. It was heating up she noticed as she slipped her phone and wallet into her pockets then opened her curtains.

Time to find this mall.

* * *

It wasn't as big as the one at home but it was pretty good, she found herself wandering it. she made a call into the tack shop to look around. Reena had run off to go with her brothers to look at video games and Sam had let them go. She wanted to check things out and then go and see about the music stores, cd collection.

The whole place smelled of leather and saddle soap, she took it in greedily and walked about when something caught her eye. A pair of chinks, she knew what they were as she wasn't completely ignorant to the western world. Her eye roved over them the fringing was perfect and they were simple and black.

Her eyes moved on to the duster beside it, black and knee length it was nice. Unlike most tack shops, this one focused mostly focused on western things and she could understand that, it was Nevada after all.

She eyed them for a few more moments before deciding she should go and check out the cd's. Reluctantly tearing her gaze from them she made her way back into the crowd and headed for the first music store she saw.

Loud beats echoed throughout the store and she browsed through the cd's easily. To her delight there were good bands and the music was pretty good, she pulled out her selections slowly building up a small pile. "Sam!"

She looked up and saw Reena making a beeline toward her through the store carrying one small bag and her wallet in the other, "what've you been up to?" she asked and Sam shrugged.

"Just looking about, finding some cd's."

"Cool! I got the game I was saving up for, and the boys are about here somewhere spending their allowance." She grinned happily up at her big sister.

"Allowance?" Sam asked as she moved to the DVD's, showing her step sister she was at least listening as she scanned the racks.

"Yeah, we don't get much. Just twenty five a week for chores and stuff," Reena still seemed pretty happy though and Sam frowned.

"Wow, that's not much…" she trailed off thinking.

Her hands sorted through the DVD's until she had another small pile to add to the cd one. "Little Forster," an amused voice called out and Sam looked over her shoulder for the source to see three girls the same age as herself heading their way.

The leader, the one who'd called out, was a brown haired girl. She looked slender and tall her green eyes dancing. She wore skinny jeans and a white three quarter shirt beneath a blue vest. Her face was delicate and Sam could see the tracing of veins beneath her skin, she looked like a small fairy except for her height which was taller than Sam by two inches. Her brown hair held back in a loose long braid with a scattering of bangs about her face.

The next was a white blonde haired girl with blue serious eyes behind small black framed glasses. Her hair was pulled into two braids tied off with black ribbons, she wore a flowing black peasant skirt that flowed about her knees and flared about her as she moved. Her top was a white and blue striped tank and she wore fingerless blue gloves reaching her elbows.

The last had white blonde hair lighter than the other, black streaks mixed through it with blue but the majority of her hair was blonde touching her hips and completely straight. Her blue eyes were dark and outlined by naturally long dark lashes. Wearing baggy black jeans ripped and torn artfully and a black camisole she wore a black and white striped scarf and chains clinked from her belt.

"Little Forster and an older look alike," the third girl commented in a soft sweet voice. It was a complete contrast to her looks.

"Hey guys," Reena chirped happily, "this is Sam my older sister, Sam I'd like you to meet Ally McClintock," the brown haired girl waved happily. "Jenifer Kenworthy," the first blonde nodded and offered a slight smile. "And Morrigan Midson," the last girl offered a head nod in return.

"Sister?" she asked the younger Forster.

"She's the one from San Francisco, she's here for the year," Reena stated happily. "She gets to come on the cattle drive too. So its another girl against the boys!"

The girls smiled and then Jennifer eyed the cd's in her hand with keen interest, "oh she's got good taste. So you senior this year, or junior?"

"Senior," Sam shrugged, "I'm seventeen today though."

"Happy birthday," Ally smiled prettily, "poor Morrigan still the baby of the senior group, she doesn't turn seventeen till February."

Morrigan arched a brow but shrugged, "so? Which ones your favorite, 'Bloody Romance' or 'Buried a Lie'?"

Sam grinned, "they're both pretty equal."

Still discussing it Sam watched Reena go off in search of the boys as she let the three girls lead her to a café after paying with her card for her choices. With three orders of a Chocó latte tall sized and a Chocó frappe for Morrigan the girls found a table to sit and talk. Sitting about talking with the other girls, who she discovered were pretty cool and her type of people Sam felt the town might not be so bad after all.

Jen was intelligent, a genius really and she was interested in the same books as Sam, she said she lived on Harmony Ranch with her parents and owned a palomino mare named Silk Stockings. She asked questions about San Francisco and started asking her if she'd been to any particular monuments as she tallied off important points about each.

Ally was a sweet girl, she sang in the church choir and when she'd gotten older and the church realized they didn't like the way she dressed, they hadn't been too pleased so instead she joined the school choir and rock band. Sweet and docile she seemed to be the glue of the group, a mediator of sorts. She didn't live on a ranch but she often was at Jen or Morrigan's ranches riding.

Morrigan was quiet and a bit solemn. She teased the other girls lightly and was perfectly polite but seemed distant from her friends. She'd ridden both English and western all her life and loved it. But then again there were subtle ways in which she listened that you could tell she was enjoying herself and she had great taste in music. She seemed to turn the conversation away from herself slightly and often redirected her friends when it seemed they were going to disagree about something. She was a subtle girl but more so than Ally she was the mediator.

"Oh look! It's the drab squad and they've got a little friend," a sneering voice said.

Sam looked at the speaker and arched a brow. She could see her brothers and sister walking up to their table and exchanging looks at the group of girls approaching the four.

The speaker was a brunette girl with coffee colored curls swirling about her shoulders, her mocha eyes long lashed and sultry made up to highlight them in her face. She was pretty no one could deny that. She wore high heeled basket weave pink sandals with flowers on the buckles. Candy striped pink and white short shorts sat on her hips with a white camisole top. She looked like one of those models in vogue or something.

The next girl was blonde and just like her ringleader, her blonde hair up in a high ponytail. She wore a jean skirt with a frayed hem that was so short it looked difficult to walk in with blue flip flops and a bodice camisole top. They had a small entourage behind them.

Morrigan narrowed her eyes hatefully at the girl, but still her voice was soft and melodic, "go screw yourself Slocum."

The girl fluttered her eyelashes, "why Midson, so harsh today. Where's your keeper?"

Morrigan's teeth bared in a snarl, "he isn't my keeper."

"Keeps his bitch on a tight leash," the other girl simpered. "He'll wise up, people like him shouldn't go with scum like you. And it's a shame about your brother Rachel, I thought he'd have more sense than to date commoners."

Jen's cheeks flushed and Sam felt sorry for both girls as they looked to the two beauty queens and their followers laughing lightly. Morrigan snarled, "shut your trap Daisy, Ryan's free to date whoever he likes and you should know that you are a commoner. A common whore anyway."

Sam drew Reena close as she sensed some swear words were going to come out, and put her hands over the younger girls ears.

Cody and Jaxom stood behind her chair as Reena wriggled trying to hear what was being said. "Look," Sam said slowly, "I don't know who you are and who you think you are, but would you piss off. You aren't welcome obviously so how about you turn your over perfumed selves around and go back to screwing with the next guy that comes your way."

"Shut up new girl, we weren't involving you," the blonde girl rounded on her and Sam sat impassively. "And what's this? The Forster brats?"

"Don't you dare insult them," Sam hissed angrily.

"Hang on a second Daisy," Rachel laid a hand on her sidekick's arm. "You look like them, so you're not a baby sitter."

Cody and Jaxom bristled, "she's our sister!"

Rachel ran a dismissive eye over them all, "oh that's right. The whores child."

Before Sam knew what she'd done she was standing up and restraining the squirming form of Morrigan as she attempted to leap across the table at Rachel. Insults flowed from the blonde's mouth easily cursing the other girl to high heaven.

Sam turned cold eyes to Rachel and fixed them onto her, "any chance there was of me acting at least civil to you has gone. I'll say it again. Go fuck yourselves for all I care and pray to whatever god you believe in that I don't let her loose."

Morrigan snarled angrily at them enforcing Sam's words as Jen and Ally stood behind her holding Cody and Jaxom back. the two girls thrust their noses in the air and flounced off in a cloud of perfume with loyal dogs in tow.

"God I hate her," Ally swore softly as they sat down again.

Morrigan narrowed her eyes in the direction the girls went, "they don't deserve hate, I dislike them intensely means that I don't care two shits about them."

Jen shook her head sighing softly, "she's my boyfriend's sister and hates me, what can I do?"

"It isn't your fault Jen," Sam spoke softly letting Reena sit on her knee as the boys dragged over chairs. "But she'll wish she never even thought of my mother when I'm done with her."

The other girls smirked, "anything you've got planned, we'll be happy to help."

* * *

**Bellaria- okay here we go an oc and some characters that we all know I'm trying to keep their personalities in the way they act and I hope I didn't do too much botched a job. I also hope the chapter didn't seem to rushed to you as it did to me and that you liked it. And Yah! Tempest is in the picture, if you can't pick up on the little things I put in here I'm extremely dissapointed. The next chapter could take a week or so as these longer chapters have more detail and other such things. Ryan was mentioned too and the whole thing like that so whoop! Hopefully I'll be able to bring out more charaters soon but it could be the sixth or seventh chapter before they majority turn up though so don't kill me! Anyway TTFN -!!!!**


	4. Happy Birthday!

**Well here it is, chapter four thirteen days later after nearly tearing my hair out over stupid characters who would jsut _not_ co-operate!! GRRR!! anyway this is a good eighteen pages long. I hope you like it, i disclaim to any songs in this story and you know the characters you know belong to Terri Farley... thanks to my reveiwers and the lurking readers, in the past few days I have notice a rise on PS stories, haven't really had time to read them I had three major projects due yesterday and missed alot of sleep to pull them off, but ha! I succeeded... anyway on to the story...**

Chapter Four

Happy Birthday!

Sam and her three siblings left the mall an hour later, Sam with three new friends she knew she could learn to like, and two new enemies she found she could learn to dislike extremely quick.

The car was basically silent save for the music playing about them and she tried hard to look as if she was relaxed into her seat as they drove away from the mall. Reena finally turned to look at Sam and saw how white knuckled her hands were on the steering wheel, obviously Rachel had said something that hit a particularly painful nerve.

"Sam?" Jaxom questioned softly breaking the tension ripping through her frame unknowingly. Tearing her attention from the road and her music, her own little word to show she was listening.

"Hmmm?" she questioned, she flicked her gaze to the review mirror to look at him and it was then that she saw a flicker of color behind her car. A baby blue convertible that was traveling a lot faster than the legal limit, she ignored it, focusing instead on the road and what her brother had to say.

"What's your mom like?" he asked his tone slightly wistful.

"My mom?" Sam questioned curiously and then shrugged slightly, she was a bit taken aback by the question but it was something nice to talk about. "She's like your mom I suppose, she loves horses and she cooks a terrific dinner. She knows the basics of mechanics and taught me when I was eight. When I was little and first wanted to start skateboarding she got me my first board. I still have it, its at home in the garage in two pieces. She's my best cheerleader when I'm competing and she's my dressage coach.

She took Grace and I for walks in central park on our ponies. She gave us two younger brothers and me another dad to love and Grace a mother to look up to. She supports me in anyway possible and sent me here to meet you guys. She's focused and I love her very much."

The kids nodded, "she sounds cool," Cody replied. "I'd like to meet her one day."

Sam blinked, slightly surprised by his remark and then a small smile touched her lips. "that'd be cool huh? I think she'd like you guys."

They grinned at her in return just as the small zippy convertible ripped past them filled with girls and their shopping, laughing and with teeny-bopper beats just distinguishable coming out of the sport car's stereo, ugh. Sam pulled a disgusted grimace as soon as she comprehended who it was. She realized soon though after a bit of driving, that the girls were pulling into the extravagant ranch and the other sports car behind Sam was doing the same thing, so it was one of their homes? She shouldn't be so surprised she supposed. Instead of dwelling on it though, she shrugged mentally and concentrated instead on the others voices as they floated about the car talking about what they'd gotten at the mall.

The allowance thing that Reena had told her about had her unsettled. She earned more back home from teaching lessons and doing chores and now she was going to have to get a job to pay for things, she couldn't afford not to. In her minds eye she could see the money she'd saved up slowly disappearing piece by piece. Because her cd's and DVD's weren't cheap, nor was the grain she fed Swallow, the gear repairs she'd have to get done without Grace or the gas needed to run her car.

A frown marred her features slightly, she'd have to get a job somewhere in Alkali and hope it had good enough of an income to pay for things she needed and wanted. She could probably make it work too. If she rode in the mornings and did the whole cattle, fence checking thing with her dad in the morning she could work during the day and afternoons and when school started again on weekends and at night or something.

She'd have to talk about it with her dad and see what he thought about it. Grace would probably laugh at her getting a job, she shook her head and finally pulled into the ranch yard. The kids spilled out of the car chatting happily and Sam took note of Dallas sitting on the bunkhouse porch playing a harmonica with the dogs draped in a sleeping pile about his feet, while Ross wrote in a notebook, sitting on the railing with his back propped against a post and looking perfectly comfortable and Pepper practiced with his rope in the coral. Bryanna's car wasn't back yet as it had only just reached one o'clock and she wasn't due home for another four and a half hours.

Sam as she got out of her car, found herself watching each movement Pepper made as he flung his rope at the plastic cow head attached to a hay bale. When he saw she was watching he grinned, "you wanna learn?" he must've been a right little mischief to his mother when he was young, she'd bet he was a bit of a mischief maker now as well.

But she found herself grinning back easily and slipped quickly between the fence rails, "yeah that'd be cool. But I warn you I'm probably hopeless."

He shrugged easily gathering his lariat back up and holding it out to her, "so? Only one way to find out."

Sam smiled and went to stand by him, "by the way, happy birthday."

She shrugged easily, "thanks, so teach me how to rope then cowboy."

He smirked and showed her each movement, "there's a certain flick of the wrist and then bam. Just go with it." The rope landed perfectly about the fake cow's neck as he did it then pulled it semi taut.

He recollected it then held it out to her, adjusting her hands until he was happy and then instructed her on it. When she finally released it, the rope fell a five foot gap short of the cow head. Pepper just smiled patiently, "gather it all up and try it again."

Sam narrowed her eyes, focusing on her target, she was determined to get it right.

* * *

Morrigan pulled up outside Darton High's parking lot easily in her light blue pick up. An hour and a half gone and she was still pissed off at Rachel bloody Slocum and her stupid sidekick. God she hated those two. Growling she unbuckled her seat belt and slammed her car door after herself, clicking the central locking button on her key ring.

Her face was drawn into a dark scowl as she made her way onto the large football field about two hundred meters away from the main school block, to see some guys in a soccer scrimmage. Vaulting over the chain link fence and onto the track she too it all in. Their coach stood watching with a serious expression because even though it was another two weeks away to the season they still trained to win and win they did. The Darton high Varsity team was the best in the state and they had their eye on the championship cup this year. Junior Varsity soccer players trotted about the field in sweats as they jogged and talked. While the seniors were the ones that played.

The others wore shorts or track pants, most were shirtless and her eyes searched through them. She saw her best friend Jake Ely, dressed in track pants and sneakers give her a slight nod of the head before he was diving back into the fray but that wasn't who she was looking for.

She and Jake had been best friends since before they could walk and the two of them got along extremely well both being quiet and serious. Except for her random moments when she got into one of her childish moods. He found it entertaining and she told him to shut his face before he found himself missing a few teeth. He was vice captain to the Varsity soccer and captain and star runner on the track team, well liked and straight A student he had a lot of things going for him.

But she wasn't focused on that. She was still shaking with rage about what Rachel and Daisy had said, especially to Sam. Poor Sam, that was a right biatch of a comment to say to someone and Morrigan had been about ready to leap across the table and slap the dumb bimbo's head in. She almost had to; if only it weren't for Sam she would've ripped Rachel's fake extensions from her perfectly styled hair before shoving them down her throat. Maybe when Sam wasn't there she could exact her revenge. She was normally more vindictive than volatile but that girl just rubbed her completely the wrong way. She didn't like the fact that the girl could do that.

She frowned sitting on the team bench amongst all the sports bags and sport drink bottles her eyes still searching the group of boys, she finally found him in only a pair of black sweat pants, one of the tallest guys out there at six foot five. His broad shoulders led down to narrow hips, his face was hollowed and angular, his eyes a dark blue color and his black cobalt hair flopped into his eyes and was messily strewn about his head. But watching the flex of really yummy tummy and arm muscles was enough of a distraction to pull her attention away from her brooding for a moment.

Another guy kicked the ball to him and he kicked it to Jake who kicked it right past the goalie's outstretched hands. Ryan Slocum ruefully raked coffee brown hair out of his mocha eyes so like his twin yet so different. He was slightly stocky but lean and tall in his way. With a white wifebeater and a blue pair of shorts he was covered in grass stains and looked happy to be out there.

Jake and Ryan used to fight a lot when they were younger until they finally discovered they weren't all that different and actually got along pretty well. They still had their occasional bickering spats but they were few and far between as well as being short lived.

It was then that the whistle rang out and the boys gratefully broke off into groups as they made their way off the field. The junior varsity team slowly following. Morrigan drew her legs up to her chest and flicked a strand of white blonde out of her face, watching as they rough housed not having noticed her completely yet until Jake tapped the dark haired boy on the shoulder and nodded his head in her direction.

The wolfish grin that spread across his face as he saw her, framed by messy flyaway bangs, was the reason that Seto Ishtar was a school heartthrob. His dad was Egyptian but Seto himself looked American aside from the golden tan skin, he'd inherited his mother's American looks but his dad's beautiful long lashed, dark eyes that were more violet than anything. He was captain of the Varsity soccer team and was best friends with Jake since they were young, before he'd gone to Cairo with his parents, but he was also her boyfriend of five months. At first she wasn't sure what to make of him when he'd first moved back to Darton. He'd punched a guy in the mall for making a lewd comment to her and become her protector and comforter from then on, until his possessive nature set in and she'd gotten a big surprise when she found herself pulled against him for her first kiss. Rough and possessive but gentle in his way to make sure there was no argument about who she belonged to in other peoples minds.

He had a slightly reclusive nature which was why he got on so well with Jake and Ryan. He was quite popular though even if at times he was a little short with people. He was honest, if he didn't like you, you knew it.

She smiled slightly at him in return, breaking out of her thoughts, not even complaining as he picked her up from the bench for a hug, she wrapped her legs about his waist and wound her arms loosely about his neck as he kissed her forehead, "you're pissed," his breath puffed lightly over her hair disturbing it slightly.

She sighed burying her head in his neck as he ran a gentle hand over her long hair to settle his hand on the skin between her jeans and shirt. "It's okay," she mumbled, "I'll sort it out."

He could feel the tension in her back and shoulder's slowly loosening which was good, but the fact that she was tense was a bad thing, she normally didn't get tensed about much. Little things he did to rile her to see the spark in her eyes were playful, small things that annoyed her, made her get a cute pout but now he could tell this wasn't good. Only three people could make her that riled, two of which lived in close vicinity which narrowed it down quite significantly because those two normally hung about together.

"Who'd you kill?" he sighed, sitting down with her in his lap. Sometimes she needed him more than she thought, because she could when provoked, get easily volatile, she might argue with him at points about the fact that she wasn't his to stake his claim on all the time, which he completely disagreed with, she was his and that was that. But now she could have no doubts about his sway over her as she squirmed slightly and the others gave them small smiles well used to their captain and his quiet girlfriend. Nobody messed with her or else they answered to Seto and nobody wanted to mess with Seto.

She shook her head still buried in the hollow of his throat, shifting herself and hoping no one could see her crack cause that was just_ wrong_. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her cheek, hear it beneath her ear and could feel her eyelids drooping. "No one… _yet_."

Ryan sat down beside them after pulling track pants on over his shorts and sighed, he'd heard most of their conversation and knew only two people had the complete destructive comments to tear through his friend's barriers so effectively. "I'll take a stab in the dark and say it was either my sister or her ever so faithful friend."

Morrigan didn't even move as she felt some muscles in Seto's neck and back tighten in annoyance. "You don't even need a stab in the dark, you could probably get it with your hands tied behind your back while someone set your hair on fire and even then you'd hit your target. As for you stabbing someone Ryan, I think it would be highly amusing, warn before you do it so I can watch."

She shifted her head slightly barely noticing as Seto slipped his hands into her back pockets, rubbing smooth circles on the skin of her back with the pads of his thumbs. "She was at the mall today and insulted your girlfriend, well Daisy did," she saw the normally reserved speaking young Englishman move from slightly amused at her earlier comments, to annoyed and angry as he clenched his fists in annoyance. He adored Jen and he hated the fact that Rachel was so condescending towards her. Jen and Ryan were an adorable couple, those two were just made for one another. "And then she had the nerve to go and take a stab at me. What really took the cake was when Rachel called Sam's mom a whore."

"Sam?" Seto and Ryan exchanged confused looks, whereas Jake standing in front of them clenched his jaw, his expression unreadable.

Morrigan sighed slightly, wriggling further into Seto and felt his heart slightly speed up. She smirked then it dissipated slightly as she took in the question, while it was nice knowing her boyfriend was a perfectly healthy red-blooded male that reacted quite normally to her actions even if unconsciously, she was looking more comfort and he knew that. "She's the eldest Forster child, visiting from San Francisco, the daughter of Wyatt and his first wife," they could tell she considered the other girl a friend already and respected her from her tone of voice. It was a hard thing to earn Morrigan's trust and respect, this girl must be nice.

"I've heard of her," Ryan said. "The whole town knows her but hasn't seen her." He stood up from his seat and looked at the form of his best friend seeking comfort from his other friend and smiled grimly. "Rachel is a spoilt brat and such but she'll listen to me. I think her behavior in this is unbecoming and unacceptable and I swear we'll be having words about this for sure Morrigan."

The blonde gave him a small smile, slight and flickering as she looked at him, "thank you Ryan. I have a feeling you'd be more eloquent in the handling."

He gave a dry smile and picked up his sport tote, Gatorade in hand, the blue liquid swirling about the bottle. "Hmm well, maybe your approach would actually teach her something. Nonetheless I'll see you tomorrow, you too Jake. See you when we get back Seto."

Seto gave the young man a nod before he nodded and took off towards the parking lot. Seto was a horseman, but not a ranch cowboy. His father owned a large breading farm of Arabs and cross Arabians. While in Cairo he'd gotten the best bloodline horses and built up the foundation to his stud before moving back. His horses were flashy, elegant and smart, they appealed to a lot of people and because of their smarts they were greatly appreciated by ranchers. Seto and his mother trained them and they made a lot of money from the business. Seto was mainly an eventer with his thoroughbred stallion, Atum.

Jake looked towards them with a slight nod of the head, "I'll talk to you later man, see ya tomorrow Wrath."

She smiled slightly at him and nodded, Seto nodded his head sharply, "sure thing man, just got some things to sort out."

Jake nodded at the guys pointed look to the girl held snug against his best friend, knowing there was more that she hadn't said even though she was slowly falling asleep in Seto's arms, he could see the tense lines that hadn't yet left in her shoulders.

He took his bag and waved leaving the couple to themselves.

Morrigan could hear the others floating away in groups for rides home, or to catch buses until she and Seto were by themselves.

"There was more that they said, wasn't there?" he asked his tone a low growl, he was pissed off. He hated the fact that not everyone accepted Morrigan as she was, as she didn't believe in church and was pagan, and the fact he knew people blew holes in her confidence about their relationship. They didn't like the idea of their relationship due to social status in school but he couldn't give a flying fuck about what they thought. She wasn't extremely confident due to her childhood and that was why she was reserved around a lot of people. But lately the two girls that Morrigan disliked so much had been picking at her more and more unraveling the confidence he'd slowly helped her gain back step by aching step with Jake and Ryan there to help catch her each time. Somehow her records of her family had gotten out. Something she only told her closet friends and even then he'd had to wriggle and worry it out of her it was that private to her.

Her dad was a lawyer, always to busy to see his little girl but not to busy to not see his girlfriend, she said he was more like some kind of uncle than a dad and no matter how unaffected she tried to act, he knew it bothered her. Her mother was a nurse and her step dad ran the family ranch, he at least was giving her a proper father role model. She had a step sister Bianca and he swore they were twins at times even though she was younger than Bianca by a year and a bit. Her best friend, Taylia, also lived with her along with her cousin, there were a great scattering of Midson's about Darton really. Her family life had improved but it had been found out about her mother belonging to a wealthy aristocratic family from Pembrey in England, Wales, the Maddison family. That was where she got her soft accented and lyrical voice that he loved to hear, especially when she was sleepy or tired as it held the lilt so much stronger in her fatigue.

Her grandmother was a heinous bitch and Morrigan was the only heir worth the effort according to her but the blonde didn't want to go to England, she complained it rained too much. Her grandmother always had her hand in Morrigan's life even though she was in England, and often tried to manipulate her. Her cousins on the Maddison side despised her and she treated them to the same courtesy. Her grandmother hadn't been happy about her pagan beliefs, had even tried to force her into the Anglican church to which the blonde had dug her heels in and told her to keep to her own life and fuck off out of hers, in a perfectly polite way of course.

Her house was constantly run amok with friends of theirs and her great horde of cousins, it was never devoid of activity and as an only child he'd found it odd but comforting. But sometimes he wished they'd all just go away because they all took up chunks of her time that he wanted and he knew he was selfish for wanting her attention. But where she was concerned he couldn't help it, thus moments of quiet like this where it was just the two of them was a nice change. There was no other way to dampen the mood of a make out session quite like when someone came into the house and called out for Morrigan or himself.

Now she looked vulnerable and tired and he didn't want anyone to see her like that. She hated people seeing her sick or weak, he knew he had a lot of her trust for her to let him see her like this. She sighed jostling him from his thoughts, "I'll handle it Seto. Don't worry yourself about it."

He scoffed, "honestly netjret I will. You may as well tell me."

She wriggled back to look at him, "I swear, one day I will figure out what netjret means."

He smirked pressing his lips to the base of the long column of throat she presented him, her pulse jolted beneath his lips and he pulled back to see spiky crescent shaped lashes resting on high cheekbones flushed slightly in pleasure. He kissed the corner of her mouth still smirking, "one day. Till then, tell me what was said."

One swirling blue eye opened and regarded him with a dry look, "know how to ruin a moment much?"

A slash of black arched, "stop dodging the question."

She pouted, brow furrowing, "I'm not dodging per say… I'd just like to deal with this one on my own, ok?"

He sighed at the pleading look she gave him and rolled his eyes, "I will find out, you know that?"

She shrugged slightly, "probably, but for now I'd like to sort something out on my own." She pressed against him again, hands finding the muscles in his back still slightly sweaty but cooling quickly. "You'll get a cold," she murmured.

"Hn."

She sighed he was such a guy, always thinking he'd be fine and that she needed more care them himself. Instead of arguing she looked up at him with big blue eyes, "can I have a kiss?"

He seemed startled by the question and for a moment just looked at her before he brushed his lips against hers gently, something had unsettled her and he would find out but first who was he that he could refuse her request? She sighed when he pulled back, she felt slightly better now.

Licking her lips slightly at his aftertaste that was like dark seductive chocolate mixed with the grape Powerade flavor that she loved she turned her gaze up to him. He'd watched the action, eyes dark and possessive and she was caught like a deer in the headlights as he swooped back in and reclaimed her lips as his own, tongue massaging hers to memorize every corner and crevice of her mouth. She sighed against him as he nipped at her lower lip and arched against him in response. Sometimes giving into him, wasn't so bad…

* * *

Jen arched a brow as she walked past her bedroom window to see her boyfriend's Ferrari pull up outside her family's two story house. "Jennifer, Ryan's here to see you!" her mother's voice floated up the stairs to her and she rolled her eyes, who else would he be here to see? Somehow the image of him coming to see her mom made her giggle slightly before setting down the cd she'd been about to put in her stereo to pad out of her room to the top of the stair landing.

He came up the stairs his coffee colored hair a shining wing slightly mussed and sweaty, his tan skin glowing over his tall six three frame as his slight muscles flexed she loved his arms shown off by his white wifebeater and knew she was exceedingly lucky to have a boyfriend like him. Not only was he good looking, but he was sharp witted, a gentleman and didn't push her to be anyone but herself.

A grin bright and welcoming flitted across her lips as he looked up at her. It slowly melted off her face in confusion at his slightly solemn look. He greeted her warmly nonetheless, a kiss to her forehead as he tweaked one of her braids before letting her take his hand in her slightly smaller one and lead him into her room. He sat on the bed and sat her on his lap, still not talking yet. She tilted her head in question.

"Morrigan came to practice today," he stated quietly. He wouldn't admit it to her but he was scared that one day Rachel would say something that would send her far away from him and he didn't want to lose her. He came here first because he had to hear it from her that she wasn't thinking about turning tail on him anytime soon. He _wasn't_ going to lose her.

"Oh?" Jen furrowed her brow in confusion. Morrigan often went to practice to watch Seto and the boys. Why would today be any different. "Ooooh," she realized then where he was going with this.

A coffee colored brow winged up punctuated by a silver brow bar, "oh? Is that all you have to say Jennifer?"

She blinked, and then realized what he was pointing at. The boys had probably wriggled information out of her, well at least Ryan and Seto did. Jake only ever did it sometimes, and Seto only did it when it concerned Morrigan. So she couldn't blame her friend for saying something and she knew Ryan was obviously upset from what he'd gleaned from the blonde girl. "Umm, I ran into your sister today?" she tried to skirt around the question and the look he shot her showed he wasn't happy about that. She sighed beaten, "I don't want to fight with her, besides it was Daisy being queen bitch today."

His look encouraged her to continue and she sighed out a breath of exasperation, "it doesn't matter, I don't take her seriously she isn't exactly the shiniest coin in the bank."

He smirked slightly at her, reaching one hand up he rubbed the pad of his thumb over her cheekbone, "unlike you. But stop dodging the question Jennifer, what did she say?"

Grumbling slightly at how he was trying to butter her up she glared at her knees as she spoke. "She called me common and then said I wasn't good enough for you."

It was then he knew that there was self doubt clouding her mind because she sounded a little sad as she said it. He touched his lips to her brow and shut his eyes slightly, "you aren't common Jennifer Kenworthy, and I should know. I love you for you and that's all that should matter and all that does matter. And as for not good enough for me, I can't think of anyone I would rather be with."

"Because you haven't met them yet," she muttered.

He treated her to a slight chiding glare and she pouted, he continued as if she'd never interrupted. "And there will be no one else, I'm happy with you, I think you fit me quite well and that's what matters."

"You make me sound like some kind of coat or something," she rolled her eyes and he smirked at her slightly.

"You're a very cute coat," he said innocently, deceptively wide eyed.

A slash of blonde flew up, "Ryan Slocum are you trying to flatter me? Because it's a very round about way in which that you're doing so."

He smirked, "you've been reading Pride and Prejudiced again. I think the fake English accent is rather charming."

She giggled at his boyish grin and beautiful accent, "so? I like that book. It's a good book with a good movie to match."

"I concur," he smirked, "I do so love the ever so eloquent nature of the heroine."

She laughed and elbowed him lightly, before sighing happily and snuggling into him. He fiddled with one of her braids, something was still nagging at him though and he opened his mouth to ask one more question, "What did they say to make Morrigan so angry?"

"Insulted Sam's mom," Jen answered quickly. Too quickly.

"You're dodging again, spit it out," he frowned.

Her brow furrowed, "I hate it how you do that." She sighed raking a hand through her hair. "They took a stab at Morrigan and Seto's relationship and called him her handler. I quote, 'keeps his bitch on a tight leash,' directly from Daisy's mouth."

Ryan scowled, "there goes all the confidence she was getting back." He sighed and she found herself doing the same.

"But she took a stab at Sam's mom which is worse, insulting family like that, makes it more than personal."

Ryan nodded, "I know and I plan to have words with them, Rachel is having her friends stay over while father and I are gone and he was too weak to put his foot down against her demands for a party while we are out. But I assure you she will not be getting away with this." He also planned to talk to Seto about the crack at Morrigan, he deserved to know. He doubted the blonde would've said anything to him, she liked her independency and didn't like other people shouldering what she thought were her problems.

Against him Jen nodded, pressing her head beneath his chin as she sighed, "I just wish we didn't fight."

Ryan sighed as well. It seemed as if it was the day of sighs. Pressing a small kiss to her forehead in reassurance he let her know he didn't think it was her fault.

* * *

Sam and Pepper looked up from her roping practice as a car bumped over the bridge. A champagne colored jeep, and Sam could just recognize the man behind the windshield, scowled and released her lasso, "wow Sam, you got it again. Good job."

She gave a fleeting smile to Pepper who grinned slightly back. He was a nice guy, sort of like an older brother and they had quite a bit in common and had passed the time laughing and telling jokes. The perfectly platonic feelings they had were comfortable and easy and she'd even seen Ross give them a small smile with a slight flicker of lips to show appreciation for their banter.

But now her mind was clouded in annoyance thanks to the sight of the guy from the diner. "That's Linc Slocum, he owns Gold Dust Ranch next door. He has two kids," Pepper supplied and her lips quirked in a not so humored way.

"Hmm, I've met the daughter and as for himself, I've met him before."

He arched a slash of red and then slowly made an 'oh' sound. "Ah, well, Linc isn't the greatest of people."

Her snort answered him as she drew the lasso back in. She handed it to him, "thanks for the lesson."

He smiled at her, "no problem. I hope young grasshopper you use the skills passed on in the next week."

She smirked, bowing slightly, "oh great Pepper someone has been watching to many kung fu movies hmm?"

He smirked, "dry humor. I think I'm in love."

She rolled her eyes, "down boy down."

They both laughed and she shook her head just as the jeep's car door slammed. Her dad was on the porch, hands tucked in his pockets and eyes focused on the man on front of him in a slightly annoyed expression, although the other man didn't seem to notice as he smirked at the real life cowboy. Sam had to admit standing by her dad he looked like a kid wanting to play dress up.

Today's shirt was bright red, covered in black fringing, on the back a scene of a rearing horse was stitched on in glittering silver and black sequins. Dark jeans that were too clean to have been worked in, if the man did anything at all and fancy heeled boots, those were the give away. No one could work properly in boots that were like that. His belt buckle matched his shirt in color and the design of a rearing horse. The ten gallon hat was sat on top of his head and she looked to Rachel Slocum's father and knew that they were extremely alike. Ryan, Rachel's brother must be the only non fake in the lot for Jen to go out with him.

Linc's gaze fell on her as she slipped between the fence rails, dusted herself off and grabbed her purchases from the ground, "well your still here then?" he boomed out a laugh, "you must be tough, the west is not for the faint of heart."

Sam resisted the urge to glare, but felt a muscle in her cheek jump, why that overbearing, fake- she broke off her thoughts so he couldn't read them. "Anyway Wyatt," Linc turned his attention to the cowboy. "I was just checking on your arrangements for tomorrow, Ryan and I are driving out with our cowboys at four, who are you taking with you?"

Wyatt shifted slightly, "Pepper, Ross, Sam, Cody, Jaxom, Bryanna, Dallas and Reena."

Linc gave a low whistle, "quite a brood you got there, I take it Grace is driving the chuck trailer."

Her dad inclined his head slightly in affirmation. And Linc smiled his toothpaste commercial grin, "good. I never tire of her cooking." He patted his stomach slightly and grinned.

For a moment between the two men there was silence. Slocum took the chance to look about once again as Sam started pulling off her shoes to go inside, "that grey stud over there is quite a beauty. How much for him?"

Sam blurted out before she could stop herself, "he isn't for sale." Her eyes lingered on the man's spurs, especially not to someone as cruel as to use spiked rolled spurs. Beside's she'd _never_ sell Swallow.

His eyebrows rose, "now honey, don't get in the way of a sales transaction, this is between me and your daddy."

She narrowed her eyes at her shoes and gave them a particularly sharp tug. She did not appreciate being patronized.

Her father shifted once again, he wasn't happy even she could tell by his clenched jaw and narrowed eyes that Linc was oblivious to as he pulled a check book out of his pocket. "Quite a good looking animal, he'd making good breeding stock."

"He isn't mine to sell," Wyatt forced out keeping his tone neutral. "The stud belongs to Sam."

Linc blinked and looked to her before arching a blonde brow, "a little girl with a creature like that? I didn't know you could joke."

"No joke," Wyatt said firmly. "The stallion is Sam's and if she says he isn't for sale, he isn't for sale."

Sam smiled slightly as she slipped indoors, _go dad!_

Inside she was surprised by her Gram's activity in the kitchen, she was baking like mad even though the supplies for the drive were stacked and boxed just by the living room door, ready to go into the chuck trailer that Gram would tow on dad's pickup, going ahead of them to set up camp, packing it up after they left at the points they were stopping for rests. Sam sniffed experimentally at the air, tacos? And strawberry pie? She wrinkled her nose at the slight differentiating scents then tilted her head. Come to think of it, her stomach was feeling quite empty at the moment.

Her Gram turned in the middle of pulling the pie out of the oven to see Sam standing there looking confused, "hello Sam."

"Hi Gram," Sam eyed the extremely delicious looking pie, she really loved strawberry pie. "Is that taco's I smell?"

Gram smiled slightly, "yes, but there for your birthday dinner. Have you packed yet?"

Sam was slightly taken aback, birthday dinner? She found herself mouthing the words in puzzlement and then realized she'd been asked a question. She scratched the back of her head and shifted, "ah yea, halfway done."

Gram gave a business like nod, "good. Go up stairs and take a shower, you look like you've been enjoying your roping lesson. Finish your packing, remember the weather can turn to storms pretty quick."

Sam nodded, "sure Gram, okay."

Gram nodded her head, "I heard you met some of the locals." Her lips were pressed together slightly, "Jen, Ally and Morrigan are all good girls."

Somewhere outside a car started up and they both looked at the window to see Linc Slocum's truck pulling out of the ranch. Gram tsked her tongue against her teeth in annoyance and set about sifting icing sugar over the pie. "That Linc Slocum all money and no backbone, and that daughter of his," Sam's brows rose slightly. Gram caught the look and turned away pushing a stray lock of grey hair behind her ear, "Sorry Sam I should set you an example, take no notice of what I just said."

Sam nodded her head slightly and Gram smiled, "go take a shower."

Shrugging the auburn haired teen made a beeline for the stairs.

Behind her Grace shook her head, poor girl. Her other grand children had told her and Wyatt what Rachel and her friend had said to Sam in the mall and she wasn't happy. She adored Louise, always had and never blamed the woman for leaving. She couldn't be with someone who she didn't love in that way, and someone who didn't love her that way either. They were still good friends but it was too young and too fast. She'd always had a soft spot for Louise and had let the subject of her taking Sam away well alone. But it had been a long time, Louise had other children and it was time Sam and Wyatt knew one another.

She heard the shower start running just as the kitchen door open and Wyatt entered. He set his hat on the stand because he knew she didn't approve of hats being on in the house and sat down in a chair at the table.

"I don't know what that man is thinking sometimes," Wyatt swore softly leaning back in his chair and stretching out his long legs languidly.

Grace chuckled softly, "do you really want too?"

"No," he drew the word out thoughtfully. "B called before Linc came, she's on her way home and is bringing Sam's presents."

Gram nodded and slapped his hand away from one of the chocolate chip biscuits with her wooden spoon. He frowned and withdrew looking quite disgruntled. "Wyatt Forster, those are for after dinner," she chided and he rolled his eyes.

Secretly she smiled, like father like daughter.

* * *

When Sam reemerged from the shower wearing black short shorts and a grey and white sweatshirt she swept her damp hair over her shoulder and padded down the hallway barefoot. What she saw when she was halfway down the stairs had her brows raising in surprise. Bryanna was home dressed in casual jeans and a white shirt for one and then the others were all standing about the kitchen.

They looked up at her as she arched a brow suspiciously, "ok, what's going on?"

They laughed, "happy birthday Sam!" and she blinked in surprise. Sure her Gram had said birthday dinner but, she wasn't quite expecting this.

"Well don't just stand there," there was a slight teasing twinkle in Bryanna's eyes as she said this. "Come and eat and then we'll get you to open presents."

Sam blinked again and hesitantly made her way down the stairs.

Dinner was good, she loved tacos and ate them happily with the rest as they chatted about their day. It was like back home, the clamor for things to be passed, small arguments between Reena, Jaxom and Cody, laughter from the adults about a joke only they could get. Sam felt a smile flirt with her lips. It was nice but she felt extremely homesick.

They took dessert to the living room when they had finished off the tacos, the kids draping themselves on the floor and Sam staring at the presents with incredulous eyes. The adults got comfortable and then Gram's voice broke into her thoughts, "opening them is better than staring Sam dear."

She nodded mutely and stepped up to the table. Her hands slowly worked over the paper of the first and found she couldn't say anything about the well fashioned, comfortable looking black boots she was looking at. "They were your mom's, she left them here and we thought you'd like them," Gram spoke up. "Just like the saddle."

Sam craned her head around, "you mean these and that were mom's?"

Her dad nodded seriously, "yes, but she reckoned you'd like them."

Sam had nothing left to say and to cover up that fact she reached out for the next present. Her eyes fell on the duster she'd seen in the tack shop and her hands ran over the soft fabric in surprised, the outside was coated with wax to protect it from rain and to encourage it to run off the fabric rather than soak in. Her jaw dropped at it.

"You'll need something incase the weather turns nasty, believe me," her dad spoke up behind her.

She nodded and her hand landed on the very last present, they were the chinks, she was extremely surprised now. "It was B's idea to get those, said they went with the jacket."

Sam just smiled, "thanks." Maybe her step-mom wasn't all that bad.

* * *

Sam woke up at four the next morning to her dad's soft knock on her door and dressed in the dark. A hoody that she could pull off when it got hot, over a red and black flannelette shirt with black jeans and her mom's old boots. Pulling her hair back into a long messy braid she grabbed her saddle bags slinging them over her shoulder. Her duffle of clothes was in the car that Gram was using to pull the chuck wagon trailer.

The horse truck waited outside and the kids slowly piled out of the door after her blinking. Jamming her hat onto her head she set her saddle bags in the car and set off to helping them load up the horses, Tempest decided she didn't want to go in and after a lot of coaxing and a good push from cowboy's on hand, they managed it.

She met the other Ely boys, Quinn, Adam, Bryan and Nate who all inherited the Shoshone looks from their father a tall man with a silent nature and reserved gaze. He nodded his head politely to her and flickered his lips slightly when she finally got Tempest up the ramp. Tank, Nike, and Tempest ended up on the truck with the Ely horses. While Jeepers, Strawberry, Ace, Buff, Blue and Penny, got loaded into the second truck.

It was still dark when they started on the road, Sam found herself crammed between Jake and a talkative Quinn, the boys aside from Jake, talked animatedly about her while Luke drove. Bryanna, her dad, Dallas, Ross and Pepper took up the other truck and the kids traveled with Gram.

It was fun to joke with the others and get to know them. They were more talkative than their brother and asked her about her life in San Francisco and her eventing circuit.

When they arrived at the sight the others were already there, Linc Slocum's nine horse truck was flashy and decorative, the smaller six horse truck of the Kenworthy's parked beside it, while there was the nine horse truck of the Midson/Taylor family. The boy's told her about it as she wouldn't have known it herself.

She saw the long blonde mane of Morrigan's and focused on her. It was braided back, a black Stetson on her head, she wore an ankle length black duster over black jeans that Sam could just see and a blue hood of her shirt with black boots.

Next to her stood Jen in light blue washed jeans, a fleece lined black jacket was over a gold and green sweatshirt. Her blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail with her hat hanging by its stampede string down her back.

Behind the two girls stood a dark haired male who looked to be about eighteen years old and had dark grey eyes standing at a good height of six four. He wore jeans and a flannelette with the sleeves rolled up. His hat was shading most of his face as he conversed with a brunette young man wearing basically the same thing.

Another two females talked to Jen and Morrigan. A tall female with dark raven hair that fell jaggedly about her chin and jaw striped thickly with blue and red. Bangs floated about alluring brown eyes. She wore all black and red. Black jeans, a red flannelette over a black tank and a long black duster.

The second girl was as tall as Morrigan where as the Goth looking young woman stood half an inch taller than both. Her blonde hair was streaked with red and black, braided loosely. Her blue flannelette was undone over a high necked tank with light colored jeans and well worn boots.

"Well you know Morrigan and Jen." Nate spoke up, "the black haired girl is Taylia, the other blonde is Morrigan's step sister, Bianca. Behind them the dark haired tall one is Morrigan's elder cousin Aleksei and the other is Ryan Slocum." Sam nodded in understanding at the supply of information.

They all had one eye on the fancy truck of the Slocum's that was being unloaded as it was obviously the last one to arrive before them. Already one quiet looking blanketed appaloosa stood by it tied to the low hitching rail on the sides of the truck. He flicked one ear boredly at the cowboys fussing over the horses. The Kenworthy truck had five palominos tethered outside of it, a stallion, one gelding and three mares. They all had white manes and tail's, one mare Sam was able to pick up on was Jen's Silly, a mare with long white stockings. While the other truck had a tall chestnut mare, with a blaze, two long hind stockings and two short front socks, a broad bay gelding with a broken blaze, a well set dainty sorrel filly with a flaxen man and tail, a dark part shire looking dapple grey gelding, another flashy chestnut with a dished face, two blanketed appaloosa's one black the other bay and a last big black with not a bit of white on him.

"And here comes Breandan, he's the eldest, Cónán and then Bridey, there all Morrigan's cousins as well." Sam nodded her head as well and looked in the direction he was pointing out to her.

Three other teen's joined the ground group as they pulled to a halt and started climbing out. A tall red headed male with serious green eyes, wearing a loose t-shirt, jeans beneath his brown fringed chinks standing at least to inches beneath the black haired young man.

The one beside him had vivid red hair, was lanky as if not quite grown into his body yet with wide blue green eyes. Wearing jeans, a flannelette with the sleeves torn off and chinks he tipped his hat slightly down to shadow his eyes.

The third was a girl, a long mane of blonde hair with black and green streaks with green eyes. Her slim build suggested her to be about Cody's age or a little older. She wore a knee length duster over a green hoody and light colored jeans beneath chinks.

Sam followed the others to the back of the truck to see Jen and Morrigan with the others following, walking over to them. Jen's hand was encased in Ryan's and Morrigan had her head tilted slightly towards the blank looking Goth young woman, a small smile flirted with her lips before her face returned to its placidly calm state.

The boys were lowering the ramp to the truck and she went to help them unload Tempest who was indignant about being put in a dark cave and would someone come and get her out now please?

* * *

Morrigan removed her duster as the heat set in, revealing fringed black chaps over her jeans, the horse beneath her, Charley, short for Charlemagne shifted slightly in her gait as she tied the coat to her saddle before easing back into the walk that was more comfortable as they rode along the left wing of the herd.

Sam rode up back in drag with Reena, Bridey and Jen, while she and Jake, with Breandan, and Cónán rode along the left with several other cowboys. Taylia and Bianca were on the other side with Bryanna, Lila, Cody and Jaxom with more cowboys ranged down the sides.

Morrigan absently patted the Anglo Arabian beneath her on the shoulder. The horse was taller than the average cow pony, standing at sixteen hands but she was agile for her height and doubled as her eventing horse. Her eyes scanned the herd, it was pretty quiet really and nothing seemed to out of the ordinary and she squeezed her calves against her sides.

The light trot was easy to sit as she switched places along the chain of cowboys with Jake. Carefully adjusting the hood of her shirt so he couldn't see the splotchy marks on her neck, Seto had gotten overly hickey happy in his comforting. But she'd needed to be reassured, Rachel tore strips at her as often as she could and ever since finding out about Morrigan's family, was determined to rip into her, the girl had always scorned Morrigan's welsh accent and now she found out what it meant it made her all the more vindictive.

Morrigan was normally serene and quiet, but she was temperate and volatile to. She had a temper and when it was let out no amount of high bred manners could bring it under control. She was stubborn too, she knew it. With Seto she'd be stubborn, she wasn't sure what to make of his protective and possessive nature when it came to the subject of her. And then she hoped he didn't know what the two girls had said, others found their relationship to be strange. Captain of the soccer team, state champion at boxing and all around popular guy should be going out with Rachel or one of the pretty cheerleaders, not some stubborn noble girl who surrounded herself with eclectic but warm people who understood her. Sure she was well liked and stuff, but she was reclusive to outsiders, distantly kind and polite. Her mouth set itself in a firm frown.

She was bringing her mare back down to a walk when hoofbeats made her look up and away from the herd that she'd swept her eyes over. A snarky looking bay gelding switched his tail as his rider made a beeline for her. Brown Stetson tugged low over his eyes with a shadowing of bangs over his green eyes she eyed the nineteen year old quietly and then sat her hand relaxed on her saddle horn looking relaxed and mildly bored.

"Morrigan," he nodded to her seriously.

"Drake," she returned quietly.

"So… how's that lug head boyfriend of yours?" The smirk that curled his mouth was nothing short of mockingly smug.

Her teeth were clenched so tightly she was sure her jaw creaked in her annoyance. Blowing out an even breath barely visible to him, it looked only as if she'd slightly shifted to the outside world. "Every time you ask that question you are given the same answer," she stated boredly, "I think I'll stick to that."

He smirked, "you keep trying this hard to get act, but we both know the truth. The fact that your oversized muscle headed boyfriend can barely pass math annoys you."

She arched a brow, she happened to know that Seto was an advanced math student and he was on the honor roll. Softly as she scanned the herd again for trouble she spoke, "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer. _Go away_."

"Morrigan!" a voice called out and hoofbeats sounded before Jake pulled up next to her, "get lost Drake."

Drake narrowed his eyes at him in return and Morrigan relaxed slightly as he finally turned and left.

* * *

When they finally mustered into camp Sam was proud of the way Tempest had behaved all day, and she hadn't felt to out of her depth thanks to Jen's explanations on things. Between her and Reena, Sam would learn a lot. She hadn't had a chance to talk to the other two girls yet and hadn't even talked to Morrigan since the beginning of the ride.

Several cowboys split off to circle the cattle and the others got off and she followed suit, happy that her legs didn't tremble , thankful to the hours of training she put in a week. Tents were set up and people were moving about, untacking as the smell of food wafted throughout the campsite, a fire blazed in the middle of the tent circle and a small temporary fence yard was made up for the horses.

Moving automatically Sam untacked Tempest, brushed her and let her into the yard with the other horses. She got her time for nighthawk from Dallas and found she was sleeping in a tent with Jen and Reena who coincidentally had the same nighthawk as her. She supposed it was better that way, they wouldn't wake up one another when going for their shifts, and it was a sensible choice.

Morrigan, Taylia, Bridey and Bianca shared a tent together and they shared the same nighthawk shift, the three elder girls grimacing at the time in sync. Sam had a feeling that Gram's stash of coffee was going to put into good use with those three.

A small smile tugged at her lips as Reena pulled at her sleeve to lead her and Jen towards the tent they'd all be sharing.

* * *

Taylia took a deep breath of night air as she stepped into the circle of tents, "Taylia," a voice called softly. She looked over and saw Morrigan scooted over beside Sam and offering her a space between herself and the tall form of a cowboy.

Taylia elegantly took her seat and the mug passed to her by her best friend before looking into the flames. Softly in the background one of the Ely boys tuned his guitar. It was nice, comfortable and peaceful, relaxing she guessed but nothing slipped past the white perfect mask of hers. Beside her she saw Morrigan's lips twitch slightly which she hid artfully with her mug. Sometimes the girl noticed more than she let on.

Taylia was cold and aloof, she held people a good arms length away from her but Morrigan had some how wound herself into her life and she'd let her. So she lived with Morrigan and her mother and when her mother had remarried stayed, Cassidy had always been a mother to her where her own parents lacked. They'd had her out of necessity to their status, she was just there.

But she had a family now and in her own way she cherished them, she'd worked hard to protect Morrigan's shredded confidence. Worked to earn money and help Cassidy in any way she could. She and Bianca got on alright, they swapped cds and books, liked the same books things like that, Aleksei and her often mucked around with his car on a Saturday and understood each others loner ways, it was the way they worked and kept themselves and others safe.

She cast her eyes around the fire, Morrigan sat beside her in companionable silence, next to her Sam and Jen talked as Ryan Slocum kept an arm wrapped about the blonde's shoulders while he talked to Jake Ely. Next to Jake was Aleksei, next to him Cónán then Breandan and then it went to the scattering of Slocum's cowboys not on watch, over from them was Slocum himself talking to Jed Kenworthy who had his hand linked with Lila his wife's, Bryanna sat beside her, Wyatt talking with her quietly, Dallas beside them nodding his head slightly as he listened to his boss. Ross was beside him with Nate Ely, Cody, Jaxom and Reena wedged in between various Ely brothers with Luke Ely with Morrigan's step dad James and then Pepper the last of them to be seated beside her.

Her lips tilted slightly in a smirk as she flicked a gaze to see Morrigan with her eyes alight slightly in mischief, sneaky little witch. Beside her Pepper shifted, red hair glinting in the firelight to his green eyes, shining jade that melted with molten gold cast by the fire. Strong work worn hands held his mug loosely his sleeves of his blue shirt rolled to his elbows.

"Haven't seen you in a while," he smirked at her, speaking lowly. The fire crackled and popped, shinning brilliantly over his skin casting her own pale hands in a golden glow, people talked lowly and the only listener Taylia suspected that could hear them, was Morrigan.

"Likewise," her slow monotone drawl was accompanied by a small twitch of lips.

He grinned at her, Taylia wasn't one for pretty words or elaborate gifts, she preferred that you understood her and he did. Quiet well actually. And Morrigan's sneaky way made him grateful she was a friend and ally in this. Sneakily he set his hand down on the log beside him and trailed a light finger over the hem line going down her jeans.

His smirk grew slightly, focusing on his cup as her slight start of surprise was barely notable on her face. Pale, slightly cool fingers wrapped about his own and before she could pull away his own fingers linked with hers. Avoidance, especially from her, was something he really hated.

Sam stretched her legs out slightly gratefully cupping the cup of hot coco between her hands. Beside her Morrigan was a steady presence and Jen was talking with her about the new school semester and which classes she'd quiet possibly like, Ryan with his arm casually draped about the girl's shoulder gave her an indulgent smile and joined in occasionally.

"So you like journalism hmm?" Jen asked, "Any particular area?"

Sam smiled, "photography, the only kind of art I'm good at. Stick figures apparently just don't cut it."

Jen grinned, "They cut it with me just fine, beside's Morrigan and Jake are the artists. Stick figures just seem to make better teacher caricatures." The grin was decidedly mischievous.

Jake gave a small grunt. He and Jen, Sam found, just didn't quite get along it was interesting to watch them argue though. Her lips twitched slightly, but nothing came from Morrigan she sat still and silent.

"And then there's sports, do you play any sports Sam?" Jen asked eagerly.

"Jen here doesn't play sports, she likes to watch them though," Ryan smirked slyly at the other girl from the corner of his eyes.

"Watch _you,_ more like," Jake muttered and Sam's lips twitched. Ryan and Jen both colored slightly.

Sam broke in before things could get bad from the soft spoken English gentleman and his friend or the blonde girl who turned murderous eyes to the stoic cowboy. "No the only sports I do and have time for are horse riding and skateboarding. Occasionally Grace and I went to shoot some hoops with friends but that's it." She shrugged and saw Jake shift out of the corner of her eye, she just saved his ass and from the look of it he knew it.

Jen smiled, "maybe you should try for the basketball team then."

Sam shook her head, "no… Swallow's training is important and I won't be a dead weight while I'm here."

Strumming started in a lulling rhythm, and beside her Morrigan hummed the first few lines. An expectant hush rang out amongst the teenagers and Sam listened for her voice. The fire crackled and popped the guitar silencing the rest as they first line finally broke free of the girl's mouth.

"And I'd give up forever to touch you… cause I know that you feel me somehow… you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be… and I don't wanna go home right now… And all I could taste is this moment and all I can breath is your life, cause sooner or later its over I just don't wanna miss you tonight…

"And I don't want the world to see me, cause I don't think that they'd understand… when everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am…" the slight switch and change in the guitar as it filled the silence and then she took a deep breath and sang again her light lilting voice washing over the campsite.

"And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming or the moment the truth in your lies… when everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know you're alive…

"And I don't want the world to see me because I don't think they'd understand when everything's meant to be broken I just want you to know who I am…

The guitar was on its own for a while as Morrigan's lips twitched, Sam loved this song and the blonde girl sang it exceedingly well with her soft accented voice, high and sweet but pitched to just the right tone for the song. The others faces were calm as she sang and Quinn Ely took over the audience with his guitar skill, Bryan happily letting his own rest on his knees as he listened.

"and I don't want the world to see me cause I don't think that they'd understand when everything's meant to be broken I just want you to know who I am, and I don't want the world to see me… cause I don't think that they'd understand, when everything's mean to be broken I just want you to know who I am… I just want you to know who I am… I just want you to know who I am… I just want you to know who I am…" her last note drifted off as the guitar closed the song. Comfortable silence settled all around and Sam could tell Morrigan was slightly more relaxed now as the slow murmured conversations started again.

Sam stood, stretching slightly, her watch was in three hours and she decided she should get some sleep beforehand. On her way there though, she went to the horse yard first to say goodnight to her filly and the rest of the horses.

Their soft nickers and sighs were accompanied by chewing sounds, rewarding her with the smell of springs promise of rain and sunlight so bright she could almost feel it ghosting over her skin as she praised the horses with her eyes.

Someone appeared next to her, a good foot of space between them and she looked at Jake, he was frowning at the plastic fencing in front of him as if he didn't see it, rubbing Tempest's offered nose she waited for him to say something.

"You coddle her," he bit out finally.

She blinked, head snapping back slightly hand pausing and only resuming once the nose pushed at her hand in rebuke, "excuse me?"

His jaw clenched and she took the message as it was, _you heard me the first time_. For a moment it was tense silence and then she was sighing out her breath at his stubborn nature she furrowed her brow and reminded herself she was exactly the same, "your point being? She's completely happy for the affection. Don't think I didn't see you petting Witch." She'd show him just how stubborn she could be.

His brow furrowed as his eyes turned harder and more inscrutable to read, "You didn't have to turn their attention away."

Taken aback by his sudden change of tack she wobbled off balance for a moment then dug in her heels into the conversation shrugging, trying to seem nonchalant, "I didn't want the night spoiled. I like easy atmospheres to talk in."

Grass swayed slightly and his hands clenched, his face changed hardening, eyes flashing as his jaw fair cracked from the way his teeth clacked together in something akin to annoyance then his features were smoothing out, clearing slightly to be a black mask. He jerked his head in a tight nod, "right." Then he turned his back to her, "get some sleep."

Sam almost snorted in her indignation at his turned back, what the hell was this guys problem? Gack! He was going to drive her up the wall with his infuriating comments and lack of said comments. She couldn't stop the frown marring the space between her brows in annoyance, stupid confusing guy!

Every bloody sentence he came up with seemed to be like a double edged sword, saying something but meaning something else! Bloody infuriating, fecking ignorant, arrogant jerk of a cowboy, what the hell did he mean!

Huffing out a breath in annoyance she pursed her lips, gave Tempest a slight pat and slipped off to her tent. One day she would lose her patience and bop him over the head like she did with guy friends back home.

She was silent going to bed, Reena and Jen chatting as they settled on either side of her and if they noticed they wouldn't say anything, really who would be crazy enough to face a brooding Sam?

* * *

**Bellaria here, if you guys don't know that song I might just die of shock... no seriously, I mean it.**

**Anyway stupid stubborn cowboys hints of things, Jake is pretty complex to write I'm trying to keep him in character because that's what makes him brilliant and diverse and bloody fecking hard to write... Sigh so anyway shorter than I originally planned, only 11,000 something words but it just was being such a sticky chapter... rolls eyes **

**I have my Livejournal up and going now, feel free to add me, I'd be happy to hear from people, I'm currently working on some oneshots but i couldn't finish them until I finished this chapter... sigh, I have a really weird mind.**

**By the way props to Cem214's challenge I think its rather good and hope you guys put in for it... also thanks to the new reviewers that popped out, I'm so happy that you guys like it!! If there are some terms you guys aren't familiar with feel free to ask and so on. But for now, it's time for training and lunch so I'll work on Chapter 5 and hopefully be back soon with another update... Da boch**


	5. Horse without Hoofprints

I'm back... miss me:Does a happy dance: Chapter five, Chapter five, Chapter five!!

Wow this took a while. Anyway, if you guys are wondering on updates and stuff and want to talk to me PM me or else check up on my Livejournal account, but anyway... on with the story :D

* * *

Chapter five

The Horse without Hoofprints

It was cold when Sam woke up on the last day of the cattle drive, and the rain pelted at the tent and on the ground in a deafeningly loud roar. Yanking on her last sweatshirt, she pulled on the duster and started packing her gear away as Jen and Reena finished dressing themselves.

The last few days had been fun, tiring and a lot of hard work. Sam loved the campfire stories and late night talks, Morrighan's few songs that she sometimes sang for them, she got on well with everyone, aside from Linc Slocum and one particularly annoying cowboy, Drake. But she still wasn't sure what to make of Jake though, and she decided she could hardly care, if he was going to be annoying she'd be annoying back. One thing she hated was the nickname he'd adapted to her, 'brat.'

Christ, it made her sound like she was five or something, how dumb was that? Ugh! She couldn't believe she was even thinking about it, because it was driving her up the wall now. She scowled, angry, well up the tent walls anyway. Gah! Boys were so dumb and confusing, and he was acting like a total jerk most of the time! Hello what did she ever do to him?

"All packed?" a voice asked, breaking through her inner rant and they all looked up to see Breandan poking his head in to the tent.

At their nods and assents he held out his hands, "hand them over, Pepper and I are on bag duty."

Sam felt her lips twitch and handed the bags over to him and they followed him out of the canvas confines and into the pouring rain. Jamming her hat on her head, Sam went to check on the horses and found Jake in the middle tying them up to be saddled. Even if he was a jerk she couldn't ignore that he might get kicked.

She dodged under the barrier and grabbed the first horse closest to her by the headstall. Jen and Reena having followed behind her realized they needed help and went straight for the tack tent.

All about them cowboys were dismantling camp to pack it away. In the distance the cattle bellowed in unhappiness of the rain and Sam felt bad for them, it must be icky to be standing in the sudden storm. Beneath her hat, already her hair was drenched in its braid and water drops hung from her lashes, her face was freezing and she was glad for the water running off her duster in small beads to drip harmlessly into the mud.

The horses were taking it pretty well, except there was one who was proving to be difficult. The mare snorted and Sam just dodged the kick aimed for her. The solid black mare snorted in annoyance as Sam sat a hand on her neck to calm her, "hey girl, hey," she whispered. But instead of being calmed the horse snaked her head and Sam found she had to dodge snapping teeth. They clicked just short of her nose as the animal laid its ears flat back and bared its teeth, back hunched and tail swishing she was churning up the ground beneath and if she wasn't careful, she was going to fall over.

The horse took another leap for Sam, who stepped back but misjudged as the horse slid towards her in the mud.

The red head was pulled backwards into someone else as the crabby horse spun quickly and kicked out and Sam looked over her shoulder to see the grim set of Jake's jaw. He looked a bit paler than normal beneath his bronze skin and his eyes had slight stress lines about them. his boots were coated in mud and his duster was dripping wet, drops of water clinging to his lashes and to his small ponytail of black hair, "jeeze brat, don't pick a fight with Witch, she'd win."

"I wasn't picking a fight!" Sam huffed back at him but he'd let go and stepped over towards the cranky mare. Witch, ha, it suited the bad tempered mare really, and she watched slightly apprehensive as he approached the creature talking lowly to her.

It calmed down beneath his hand, but she could see from the way her eyes rolled in certain directions that she wasn't completely settled, the whites of her eyes were showing and her breath came in sharp bursts, her nostrils flaring a mile a minute, ears flat and her steps mincing as he led the mare past her. "Coulda fooled me," he muttered and she could just hear it over the rain.

Sam stomped her foot wishing his own was beneath it so he could _feel_ how annoyed she was with him, and resisted the urge of throwing up her hands instead, she was afraid of spooking the horses more than they already were, "ugh," she turned on her heel. She was too frustrated to say anything to him and instead stomped off down the path that led to the gear tent to start helping with the tacking up, that black mare was the last to grab out of the group of horses.

Really she was sick of his high and mighty attitude, of his patronizing ways to her and the fact that he seemed to have a personal vendetta against her, god she'd never done anything to him! Still huffing she saw mud splash up about her as she stomped. "Jerk," she muttered under her breath. She didn't get his problem with her, she generally avoided getting in his way, and diffused that one fight that had been waiting to happen between Ryan, Jen and himself but aside from that she hadn't done much. Just had verbal spars with him every time he crossed her path, they both just seemed to get under one another's skin and drove one another crazy. She shook her head, scowling fiercely, whatever if he wanted to be a jerk let him be, she gave back as good as she got and he could deal with that.

Most of the cowboys had finished dismantling everything by the time she got to the tack tent and were pitching in to help them working in the rain as it made everything wet and slippery. Sam's hands were so cold she fought to do up the cinch on her saddle and the leather kept slipping through her fingers before she gave it a final tug and got it into place. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to come off in the rain.

Shooting one more annoyed glare at Jake who was just by her, she swung up into Tempest's saddle Sam turned her away from the middle of the now dismantled enclosure. The filly danced beneath her, splashing into the puddles in glee not caring as she got Chip and Quinn wet as they pulled up beside them.

"Hey!" the dark haired cowboy called and her head jerked up to see the look on his face. "I'm already wet enough thanks!"

Sam stroked her filly's shoulder as she encouraged her to walk alongside them and then grinned at him, "it shouldn't bother you then."

He grinned at her then, "Tempest's kind of weather then?"

Sam was going to answer when Tempest squealed and jumped to the side, away from the black sidling Witch as she and Jake went past.

Bringing the filly back under control Sam pushed her forward with her seat until she walked quietly again. She threw a look ahead of her, to see mustang brown eyes narrowed through the rain at her before she turned away breaking the gaze. What was his problem?

"Witch hates this kind of weather," Quinn said thoughtfully as she came to a trot beside him. They both jogged towards the herd, "but then again, she hates everything 'cept Jake really."

"Oh," Sam muttered looking at her horse's flickering black ears, slick with rain they swooped side to side, forward and back. Everyone's breathe misted before them in the air, coiling up in white clouds and dissipating into the air. Like great fire breathing dragons, the horse's noses flared and snorted out the mist as she thought. And really that mare with the roach mane really was a dragon, she and Jake suited one another, Sam fought back the smile flirting with her lips and focused ahead.

It was then that she saw the image of a horse, a flickering silver shadow dancing ahead. Her eyes narrowed trying to make it out through the rain; the horse reminded her of Swallow but was a hand and a half shorter than her stallion. Her eyes ran over the powerful form and the dreadlocked mane. Maybe she was imagining things as he danced and pranced through the rain and no one else seemed to see him. Then wild brown eyes locked with her and he threw up his head and disappeared. Sam blinked in surprise.

"So?" Quinn prodded like he'd already asked a question. The auburn haired girl flushed slightly and looked back around to him, and gave him a slightly confused look. He smirked and shook his head at her, "Tempest's kind of weather?"

Sam blinked at him once and then lifted her face to the rain, letting it fall freely onto her skin. "Yeah… it is."

* * *

Sam was grateful when at long last the family made the wet and muddy trek back into the ranch house, Gram had gotten there before them and had mugs of hot chocolate settled on the counter waiting for them, she had finished unpacking the chuck wagon before everyone arrived back home. And had obviously been busy while they all finished up outside. Amber and a disgruntled Blaze minced in before them as dad and Sam pushed them through, the black and white border collie grunting as he flopped down on the floor, Amber, more graceful than her friend stretched and then curled up beside him.

The house felt good to be back in after so many days of living it rough not that Sam particularly cared but she did want a decent wash to take away the feeling of mud and dirt ingrained into her skin. It was warm and smelled of cinnamon and hot chocolate, cedar wood burning gave of a pleasantly spicy aroma and mixed with whatever Gram was making.

Passing up the hot chocolate Sam swept off her hat, hung up her coat and rolled the legs of her trousers up so she didn't get mud on Gram's carpet and trudged up the stairs. They'd had to bathe Amber and Blaze before entering the house and Blaze hadn't been impressed with it, hence his disgruntlement. But dad wouldn't let him slink about with playa mud coating him. Amber hadn't cared at all, enjoying the attention. They'd both been coated in muck from sliding on their bellies as they herded cattle. Sam was glad she'd taught Amber in obedience, it came in handy out there and the cowboys had been impressed with the dog's eagerness as she trotted along beside Sam and Tempest.

Sam stretched continuing padding down the hallway to her bed room. Just as she left it, she nodded in satisfaction. Moving to her wardrobe the redhead riffled through her things to search for underwear, digging further in her wardrobe she pulled out a black pair of sweatpants, boxers and a blue hooded sweatshirt with some clean socks.

Taking her bundle to the bathroom she got there just as the kids started thundering up the stairs. Closing and locking the door, Sam shook her head and set her things on the countertop, turning on the water before stripping out of her dirty things and kicking them into a pile. The room had started to fill with steam and letting her hair out of its braid she stepped under the heated spray.

The water swirled about her shell green painted toes and she wriggled them happily, hanging her head forward to soak her hair right through, reaching up for her shampoo to attack the long locks with.

It had been a lot of fun to be on the cattle drive, she'd gotten to know her new friends and family better and while there were the few minor run ins with Jake she decided that he wasn't evil, he was just annoying, and Linc Slocum really did piss her off, there was no doubt about that little fact. He was obnoxious, loud and rude and talked about making money and about how since there were children about her couldn't talk about them to dad, Jed and Luke. He had slowly driven Sam crazy and she'd had to leave wherever he was quickly so she could avoid the stupid idiot. He'd been extremely sexist to, patronizing towards the woman of the camp and saying dealing with horses and cattle was a mans job. Sam could see so many of the girls clenching their fists about reins and cups and bite down the tempers so easy to read in their faces.

She shook her head, rinsing her hair thoroughly before lathering in the conditioner and twisting it into a knot to let it set in and reached for her razor.

She was homesick too. She missed her mom and her family and the late Saturday afternoon sleep-ins. Tilting her head back Sam rinsed her hair carefully, concentrating more on it then her homesickness, breathing in deeply she smelt her vanilla scented hair. But it was better to think of home rather than that stupid Linc Slocum.

When she felt clean and the water ran clear she stepped out wrapping her hair in a towel and drying herself off to wriggle into the clean, dry clothes. Sighing in bliss she toweled her hair and braided it back, she'd straighten it in the morning. Gathering her dirty clothes and used towels she headed out of the bathroom and was almost bowled over by Reena who shut the door with a sharp snap in her brothers' faces.

Jaxom pulled a face, "damn, no fair."

Sam's lips twitched, "fairs fair. Maybe you guys should draw straws for who gets to go next?"

Cody shook his head, "no way, cold showers are for people last in. Water pump only goes so fast."

The red head shrugged, "you could always shower together," she said innocently and smiled inwardly when the boys gave disgusted looks.

"That's just wrong!"

"Gross!"

Her smile broke through, "hey! She was messing with us!"

"Get her!"

"Now boys," Sam started backing down the hallway to her room. She eyed their dirty hands, arms and clothes. They too had rolled up the pant legs, "that's not fair I just got clean!"

The advanced and she turned tail and ran. She just reached her room and shut the door on them.

Sighing in relief she laughed at the two as they grumbled and moved away from the door. Taking the time to switch on the computer she waited until she heard a scramble for the bathroom and ducked out, sneaking past her brothers as they argued and slipping down the stairs. Bryanna was changed and showered dressed in sweats and a polo shirt while her dad was obviously in the shower and Gram was fussing over something on the stove.

"Good, put those in the basket ready for the next load," Gram said as she saw her. "And then come and help set the table."

Sam nodded and did as she asked.

Later with a dry Amber laying on her bed and seated cross legged on her desk chair, Sam read through her emails of the week. With Lost Prophets blasting from her iTune's she clicked into her hotmail account and couldn't help the grin of delight at the email address at the top of her inbox. Disregarding the junk mail she clicked on the link.

_From: HEY!!!_

_Yo Sammy-girl,_

_How's the Wild West? What do you do with all that desert? Build sandcastles?_

_You know I'm hurt, deeply and truly, what happened to being a best friend when I don't know that you're gone? Tsk, shame on you. I had to ask Grace where you were and I'll let you know I'm quite pissed off at you. But the group and I are emailing you from my account so I pass you onto Erin before she yanks my hair out._

_Me? Yank your hair out? Its as short as a boys, if only you'd grow it longer than that ponytail thing. You can't even call it a ponytail. Hey horse girl, how are you doing out there? Bored? Evan Marshall was at the mall the other day and he asked about you, I told him you'd left town, now you have a legible excuse to avoid him. :D:D I don't see what's so wrong with him, I'll take him on. wiggles eyebrows_

_My turn, god Erin is all you ever think about boys? I'm offended I hope you don't think about me like that… eww… the mental picture might've scared my brain, honestly I think I might have to go into rehab. Neway, hey Sammy-babe, forget about Evan you love me more. Its boring without you here to complain about how much I eat, and yes I still have the six pack, I am quite proud of it, Stacey Greenlaw lookout your macho Blaine is coming to save you from that dick head Sebastian. Haha._

_Now I think that's enough out of you two, anyway Sammy-babe, love you, miss you and write back biatch._

_Love lots and lots._

_Us._

Sam smiled sadly, rubbing at her arms. Those weirdo's, god she loved them, shaking her head she clicked the reply button.

_From: re: HEY!!!_

_Hey 'Us'_

_The Wild West is fine. How's San Francisco? You can't do much with the desert really and no Pam, I don't build sun castles. Its pretty out here, I'll take pictures and send some to you that wide angle lens I got for Christmas should cover it!_

_And don't be hurt, I left like the day after they told me and yes you're still my best friend and sorry I was upset about it all, I had to think about __**not**__ packing and all. My dad's great and my step mom's nice I'll take pictures of them all to send to you. Sorry you had to go through a middle man to get an answer but driving and msging is not a good idea._

_Erin, don't yank Pam's hair out, if you want her to grow it out you need to leave some for her to do that. And you have a ponytail thing too, it's tiny. Like I said I'm doing fine out here. Not bored, just tired. And oh, can't you drop that? It's so embarrassing, he's nice and all but boyfriend? Nah. And I didn't avoid him, I merely had other places to be when he showed up, that's all and you can have him if you won't him._

_Hey Blaine, no she only thinks about boys every hour on the hour, it's a known fact. And you shouldn't feel offended hon think of the ego boost it is. Yes the mental picture had scared me too, thanks for that, I might have to scrub my brain clean to forget :P. And yes I do love you more than Evan, that's no contest since there's not one to begin with. You have Grace to complain about that bottomless pit you call a stomach and I don't believe you could still have a six pack. And give up on that girl, she's mean and spiteful, she made Lillet cry, I think she and Sebastian deserve each other._

_So there you go, I hope you're satisfied in making me homesick, I miss you all and love you!! I did write back so not it's your turn._

_Love you guys' muchly._

_Sammy-babe_

Sam sighed and turned off her music, grabbing her ipod and switching off the screen she turned off the lights to crawl into bed to watch the lightning through her window.

**He spends his nights in California/watching the stars on the big screen/and then he lies awake and he wonders/why can't that be me?**

**

* * *

**

Morrighan rubbed at her hair with a towel as she walked into her bedroom. Bianca had jumped in the shower before her and she wasn't at all surprised to see Taylia stretched out on her bed with a book in her hands, washed and clean and dressed in black sweats and a sweatshirt without her normal makeup on.

As soon as the blonde entered the Goth woman pointed the corner of her book towards the phone, "he called, and he wants you to ring back. And work called, they said you have the seven to one shift in the morning." Morrighan nodded and finished drying her hair, tossing the towel into a hamper she picked a brush up off her desk and brushed out her long hair before tying it into a loose braid she could straighten it in the morning. When she had finished tying off the braid, the blonde padded over to her bed to sit beside the lounging Goth woman that was her best friend amongst the vast pillows of her bed. The black and blue comforter was turned down and her matching different shaped pillows were tossed against the headboard. Her walk in was half open and converses were piled near the door, her computer and printer were on and open to her iTune's, her large cd player connected through that. Her books were stacked neatly thanks to her mom with her DVD's and cd's organized, it wouldn't stay clean for long, and the floor would disappear in twenty four hours. It was a guarantee.

She knew who 'he' was and smiled slightly, Seto always checked to make sure she was okay and this was normal for him to call straight after things like this. And work hadn't had the roster up the week before so she'd left a message for them to call her as soon they'd figured it out. She worked in a local café in Alkali, Blue Jay's. It helped her earn extra money towards Charley's gear and her other young horse Night. A black Anglo that had been bred by Seto and his dad, with long stockings on his legs and a nice even temperament for a young horse of three, he was showing a lot of promise and she took a lot of time to get him right and while she'd been gone she'd left him with Seto knowing he'd take good care of him.

Sighing she picked the phone up loosely and dialed at the same time as Bianca mooched into the room dressed in flannelette pajama bottoms and a rubber ducky t-shirt, a very familiar rubber ducky t-shirt. "I hope you know I want that back," she said to her step sister as she pressed call on the phone. Bianca waved her hand lazily to her step sister and flopped onto the bed making it bounce and Taylia gave her a slightly arched look before turning back to her book waving her off boredly.

Morrighan focused on the phone and it was quickly picked up on the second ring.

"Ishtar Arabians and Anglos, Rochelle Ishtar speaking," a chirpy voice came across the line, Seto's mother. That meant that the phone had been in the kitchen, Rochelle liked to have it near in case someone called as Seto generally didn't like making small talk to many people and his father was always to busy to pick it up.

"Hey Rochelle, how are you?" Morrighan asked the woman quietly.

"_Morgie? I'm good, how are you sweetie? How was the cattle drive_?" Rochelle asked. "_Go away Seto, I'm talking to her_."

Morrighan laughed lightly. She loved Seto's mother, she was so confident and demanding of her son that it was amusing to watch them together, she never put up with his little moods, she told him to mope in silence or get over it. Shaking her head she answered her, "it was good, long and wet, but good."

"_I'd bet_," Rochelle replied dryly, "_I'm just glad we have the indoor up otherwise it would be hell exercising the horses in all that mud. Seto if you're going to huff, at least wash the dishes while you do so. Honestly Morrighan since you've been away he's been an absolute nightmare to be around. He's driving me crazy_."

Morrighan shook her head, "I don't know why, wasn't he busy fixing those fences?"

"_No_," the other woman seemed a bit pissed off with her son. "_He's been working the horses, mucking out every stall in the complex, cleaning all the gear and then he went and fixed the fences by himself. Oh dear,_" she laughed a little, "_ok I'll hand you over to your grumpy boyfriend now_."

"Thanks Rochelle."

"_Bye sweetie_." There was a shuffle and a few murmurs before another shuffle and somewhere footsteps.

"_Matana?_"

Morrighan stood stretching and headed for her computer, "yep, Heya I heard you missed me."

He sighed, a door closed on his end, "_yes, are you sick? You sound a bit off." _He must've gone to his room then, he always liked to talk to her without his mother and father in the background whereas she didn't mind, and their comments were often amusing to her really.

The blonde arched a brow at her boyfriends worrying nature, "no, I'm just tired is all. It was a long cattle drive."

He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, _'damn right'_ her lips twitched and she looked over to see Taylia staring blankly out at the lightning and rain outside while Bianca had fallen asleep. Curling up on her leather desk chair she watched the lightning flash.

"_Did you remember that you're staying the night tomorrow? Are you driving or riding over or should I pick you up?" _

Morrighan scratched at her head, "I uh kinda forgot, I have the seven to one shift at work, so I think I'll ride over, weather permitting."

He made a 'hmmm' sound on his end, he was well used to her forgetfulness, and had gotten over it generally reminding her over the little things she always forgot to do, "_so the cattle drive? How'd the city girl go?"_

Morrighan shrugged and then supposed that he couldn't see her, "Sam? She was fine, had this green mustang filly, she's a pretty good rider but she and Jake don't really see eye to eye half the time which is weird. Normally he just ignores people and doesn't bother with them, but I don't know, he seems to get under her skin on purpose." It had been bothering her all week and it was grating on her nerves, Sam was a perfectly nice person and Jake could be nice when he bothered, thing was he wasn't bothering and he wasn't leaving the other girl alone either, and really the redhead had been about ready to bite his head off.

"_I don't know matana,_" that tone of voice gave her an idea that he did and she scowled,_ "but I'll talk to him about it okay? Any other mishaps on the ride?"_

"no…" she replied blocking out the thoughts of Drake, if Seto found out that that guy had tried to talk to her again he might get violent.

"_a-huh,_" he didn't believe her, she knew that tone of voice and grimaced.

"Really Seto, don't fuss," she said quietly.

"_I'm not 'fussing'_," his voice was gruff. "_I'll just ask Jake since I can tell your lying matana."_

She didn't take the bait, really he fretted about her to much, she was a big girl and had fielded keeping Drake away from her thanks to the other guys and her cousins who seemed to be a gigantic wall. So aside from passing jabs she hadn't seen Drake except for that one time that Jake broke up. Really it wasn't as if she was completely helpless and really she'd coped quite well before without Seto's constant guard dog watch. And she wasn't going anywhere, she was quite happy with him if he'd just stop setting her cousins and friends on people, alright, guys, who talked to her. It really was quite ridiculous to her. She grumbled inwardly.

"Fine…" she frowned, even calling Jake wouldn't do anything, he was notoriously stubborn when it came to things like that.

"_Last chance netjret,"_ he warned in that low voice of his that sent shivers down her spine and she frowned stubbornly.

"No," she curled up further on her chair, "tell me how you've been looking after Night for me…"

Taylia eyed her best friend dubiously, really if she just told Seto she instead of dancing about the topic it would be easier. But at the same time she could tell it irked Morrighan how she was constantly followed, and Taylia hated it herself really, she independent and her own self but Pepper seemed to have this odd notion about how he didn't want other guys after her.

Really, she rolled her eyes, he needed to back off. Idly she moved the sleeping Bianca's foot away from her face and looked back to the book she'd been staring at for the last twenty minutes without really taking any of it in.

And Jake was a retard, that Sam wasn't such a bad person. If a bit naïve and completely headstrong when it came to certain things. She was quiet (thankfully) and didn't feel the need to chatter about absolutely nothing (thank god for small favors) and she treated her horse well.

Taylia figured that people who treated their animals well were good people. Her own natural mother doted upon her cat, but hated the dog with a passion and her dad was vice versa. Maybe that was why Taylia didn't like her parents at all, she liked the dog and the cat, probably the only two things in the house that weren't idiots, they knew how to get things in the house and so what if they were animals.

And she hoped that Jake would soon ease up and let Sam breath because the whole time the two had been around one another they'd been tense and looked about ready to strangle one another. And it was a pain in the butt being around them, the sooner Jake figured out what had crawled up his ass and died there they could settle back into the group. She just hoped as a whole there wouldn't be too much fighting.

Oh don't get her wrong, she loved to stir people up, she was the queen bitch of Darton High but that was reserved for those who got on her nerves, Rachel Slocum for instance. Or Darrell when he was being an idiot, sometimes Ally acted like she had a bit of a split personality and a few verbal stabs at them set them on their ass long enough to send them back to normal. Taylia wasn't really one for goody two shoes like Ally and the occasional times that the girl finally got over her old 'church' ways she was a lot easier to be around.

When she could manage to get Morrighan riled up it was amusing to watch. Seto was intelligently smart and could hold a decent conversation but when it came to Morrighan there was just no point. Really the two should just screw and get it over with, it had done wonders for Pepper and herself.

A smile flickered her blood red lips.

And plus this was senior year, the important last year where they had to figure out which college they could get to accept them and which one they'd actually go to and with all these frayed tensions it was going to take a bit of prodding to get Morrighan to fill out applications. The girl had had several offers for equestrian scholarships but she had yet to decide on which one she'd take.

Sometimes Taylia didn't know what the blonde would do without her really…

She shook her head and listened to the combination of the music, Morrighan's lyrical voice mixing with the pounding rain and the crack of occasional lightning.

* * *

Sam woke just before the dawn of the new morning, tired and sleepy but with three other people on the bed with her. Rolling herself carefully over from her stomach she cracked open one sleepy eye and saw Reena's sleep mussed head, Cody's arm with that sports watch was just near her nose and Jaxom was curled up against her stomach. She wondered idly at what time they'd come in with her and found she couldn't really care, Gracie, Ollie and Maxy all did the same thing really but why was it always her bed? She never ceased wondering but couldn't really care.

The rain had let up slightly to a light spitting against the windows and the sky was a dull gun metal grey color, their underbellies slightly dark with rain that was promised for later on in the day. She could see the horses crowded against the fence near the trees. Tempest was the only horse out there splashing in the puddles while old Strawberry had her ears pinned back in temper and Tank looked as if he couldn't care while Blue, dad's horse, had shifted himself against the trees with Buff, Nike and Jeep. Tank and Amigo were the only two willing enough to go near their lead mare in her temper.

Sam lay there and listened to the soft breathing within the room, she should really go and look for a job, she'd need one. She sighed and stretched her legs but Amber's body was curled up down there and Sam was glad she'd stuck a throw rug down there in care of any lingering mud. Her face wrinkled in distaste at that thought before she sighed. She should go down and ride Swallow.

Shifting herself carefully out of the bed she managed to get out without disturbing the others. Pulling off her sweats she grabbed a pair of boxers and tugged them on over her boxers, not caring about her night shirt she grabbed a state jacket, a water proof one and tugged it on. Amber followed her out and she shut the door carefully behind her.

The kitchen clock, as she padded down the stairs told her it was five in the morning and Gram was already moving about the kitchen.

"Land's Samantha, whatever are you doing up so early?" Gram said catching sight of her as she removed the loaf of bread she'd left to rise in the fridge for the night and Sam shrugged.

"I have to ride Swallow…" she trailed off, "did you need help though?"

Gram waved her away, "no just go and ride that horse of yours. I'll be fine."

The red head frowned dubiously but shrugged and pulled her jacket on, zipping it up to just beneath her chin and taken her hat and putting on her boots and half chaps she spared her Gram a small wave and stepped outside.

Rain bounced off the brim of her hat and she jammed her hand in her pockets as she ducked her head and trotted across the muddy yard. She'd moved her gear into the tack room before they'd left for the cattle drive and Swallow had spent the night before in a stall, Chips had loved the rain and rolled until he was muddy so she'd decided he would stay out as the big stallion could stick his head out the door and see his little friend anyway.

The big grey nickered to her in welcome and she grinned kissing the black of his nose, "hello beautiful."

Moving to the tack room she grabbed her dressage saddle, and bridle as well as the water proof quarter sheet she'd had made for days like this. They were also good for keeping a coat clean on competition days and she'd had one for night riding in the park. Shucking the saddle onto one arm, her bridle over her shoulder and the quarter sheet over the saddle she dug through her gear bag for brushes and her helmet and gloves as well as a few other things she'd need.

An old trunk sat outside Swallow's stall and setting her things out she led him out to tie up at the ring outside his stall. He stood ears alert as she brushed through his coat, she'd left his rug off during the week and it was matter with mud so that every time she brushed him a small cloud rose. Wrinkling her nose and fighting against a sneeze she groomed him carefully before putting on a sticker pad so the quarter sheet wouldn't slip back and set the blue and silver sheet over that it was monogrammed with her name and the stable logo which she had to look away from. Picking up the saddle and a numnah she quickly finished tacking him up, pulling on gloves and her helmet before leading him out of the barn.

The rain sprinkled now and she ignored as she lead him to the round yard. Closing the gate behind her she vaulted onto the big animal and settled into the easy rhythm of warming him up.

* * *

Bryanna decided as she came down for breakfast that it was now a ritual to watch her step daughter work that big grey stallion of hers in the morning. Wyatt, Grace, Pepper, Ross and Dallas were all standing out on the porch leaning on the railing and watching as the two worked about the ring.

It really was a beautiful thing to wake up to, and taking a bagel spread with jam and a coffee still hot, she wandered out onto the porch, the cowboys instantly clearing a spot for her by her husband to watch.

"Coffee, a bagel and a beautiful display," she sighed, "there's nothing better to wake up to."

Wyatt spared her a small smile and put his arm about her shoulders. "Hmmm…"

Grace sighed, "She's been up since five and its six now, she should be finishing."

As she said that the red head slowed the grey to a walk and eased the reins through her fingers. The horse dropped his head and walked forward while the girl rubbed at his shoulder and talked lowly to him.

"Good, she can come and help with the cattle," Dallas nodded seriously. "Grab her filly when you get the horses," he directed to Ross and Pepper who shared a small look before moving towards the paddock of horses.

Bryanna smiled slightly, that filly really loved to play with the cowboys, she'd splash them with puddles and dance away to make sure the slipped in the mud, letting them get closer before darting out of range with a triumphant air about her.

Watching Sam as she talked to the horse, Bryanna titled her head to the side, "do you reckon she'd help with the HARP program? I mean, those new girls come in three weeks and she does well with her horse… Jake could use the help."

Wyatt watched his daughter as she slipped from the saddle to land with a splash on the ground. "It would be an idea." _I'll think about it_, was the translation.

"You know," Bryanna said slowly watching as she ran up the stirrups and loosened the girth. "I read somewhere that mustangs can be trained not just as ranch horses but like show jumpers and dressage horses. Maybe…" she paused for a moment, "maybe it would be worth asking her if she'd help train some horses to be resold as those, they bring in a fair amount of money… it would be something different."

Wyatt's eyes narrowed as he looked down at his wife, "you wouldn't be tryin' to rope me into something would you?"

The red head gave a mock shocked look, "I wouldn't dream of it, it was just an idea." Up on tiptoe she kissed his cheek, winked and ducked inside. "Have a nice day honey."

Wyatt shared a look with his mother before shaking his head and heading down the stairs towards where Sam had disappeared into the barn with her horse. What Bryanna said did have some merit… he'd have to think about it.

When he entered the barn Sam was finishing grooming the horse a thick padded looking silky blanket sitting on the chest before the stall. She grinned at him as she tossed it over the stallions back, buckling it up quickly and sending him back into his stall.

"Morning dad," she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "What's up?"

She started picking up her things, "what's that?" Wyatt asked looking at the rug.

Sam shrugged, "a doona rug, I brought it for him last year, suits better than a cotton one when the weathers like this."

Wyatt nodded slowly. "Actually I was meaning to ask you something," Sam said as she hefted the light dressage saddle up. "do you know anyone offering jobs?" she asked, "I'm going to need to earn my own money to care for Swallow and get him things he needs, Tempest can have one of his old rugs. But I need different feed mix for Swallow and certain things like that. I'll still help about the ranch, but I kinda need the money."

Wyatt blinked at her, confused. His daughter was definitely like her parents, headstrong and independent, she was willing to work on the ranch and get a job, and maybe Bryanna's idea _was_ a good one. It would certainly be easier… he followed her in the tack room and leaned against the door frame as she packed away her things.

"Could do, your mom mentioned something about you having some coaching things," he said as his mind flashed back to those conversations he'd had briefly with Louise updating him on Sam's life and her chattering excitedly herself about those things.

Sam nodded.

"Would you think about maybe helping out with your step mom's program?" Sam looked at him with a brow furrowed in confusion and he shrugged, "its called HARP, with your… things, you could get paid by the BLM to help out. and I don't think your siblings have told you yet, but Jake and I get horses from the BLM and auctions to work up and sell on, we each get a cut of the profit, if you think you'd like to take on a string we could do it that way."

Sam rubbed at her head, "it wouldn't be constant would it?"

Wyatt shook his head, "Jake and I are planning to go to a horse auction in a week to look at some new stock. Come along and we'll see if you want to or not."

The redhead pursed her lips in thought, it would be good, but it would be an extra load to what she did with Swallow and when school starts… and then there was Tempest and the competitions and petrol. She grimaced, it would help out the ranch though, she sighed, half to one and a dozen to the other.

"Can I take a look at these horses and then decide?"

Wyatt shrugged, "don't see no reason why not. Grab your gear, we have cattle to check."

Sam nodded, taking the quarter sheet and her gear before following him out of the tack room.

She spent a majority of the morning checking fences, herding cattle, checking water levels and ducking into spaces that could be ideal cow hiding places. She blew out a breath slightly at her bangs, it had stopped raining now and the weather was clearing. She'd been riding with Pepper all morning who entertained her with jokes and wise cracks.

She shook her head at him and shooed yet another cow out of the bushes. Tempest snorted and tugged eagerly at her bit. Dancing on the tips of her hooves in excitement, Sam squeezed her with her right calf and opened her left rein making the horse bend away from the pressure. When Sam let up the horse had completely forgotten about carrying on.

"Your good with her," Pepper said as they jogged back towards where they had to meet the others.

Sam shrugged, "nah, it's easy to pick when she's gonna be silly and a horse. You just gotta know when to make her forget about it."

The male redhead shook his head, she just wouldn't accept praise, "whatever. There they are."

He nodded in a certain direction and she followed his gaze to see the jogging horses and their riders heading towards them.

"We got all of ours, this area all clear?" Dallas asked looking at the two young redheads.

Sam shrugged, "yea I think so, Pepper?"

"Yeah, we did," the older redhead was slightly more serious than he had been a second ago and she hid a smile at the personality difference. When it was just them he doles out wisecracks and jokes a mile a minute, but with Dallas and her dad he was all business. It was like her when she discussed horses and riders within the stable with Victor and mom.

A pang started in her chest but once she'd started she couldn't stop and she tugged on her hat brim to hide her expression before slipping Tempest in beside Ross and Tank so her dad couldn't see her expression. God as much as she enjoyed being here, she missed her family and it hurt so much at that moment she just wanted to curl up and ignore the world. Sure she loved her new siblings, Gram was a comforting presence and dad talked to her like she was an adult and she was still trying to figure Bryanna out, but the new friends she'd made were the greatest.

But that email last night showed her just how much she missed home, how much she just wanted to head to the courts and shoot hoops with Pam. Dodging Erin's attempts to make her girly and then joking and messing around with Blaine for fun, he'd go to the skate park with her and tear it up, Pam refused to get one and Erin would reply with an easy toss of her head that it was _boyish_ and in that tone you knew she scorned it, but she came along anyway because the guys paid attention to her like a load of dogs paying attention to food. It was kinda scary and Sam and Blaine would laugh at her and joke around like normal with Gracie bringing up the rear. And she missed the way Gracie laughed at her quips and sharp tongue. Here she was to shy to try.

Sam sighed and turned her face away when she felt a gaze burn at her through the bangs that had fallen loose of her plait.

And she missed mom's easy smile and the way she'd tightly braid her hair when she had one of her bouts of sleeplessness, sitting up late with hot chocolate and just talking about nothing in particular. To Victor and their jokes in lesson's, the sharp focus his tutoring gave her, mom's sharp dressage queen orders to 'drop her goddamn heel and sit up straight or fall flat on your ass from lack of balance.' She missed teaching lessons and arguing with her siblings for no other reason than to pick a fight. To listen to Ollie and Max run cause Gracie was going to get them.

Her thoughts transferred to that early birthday morning and a sad smile twitched her lips. The morning had been so bittersweet and she could feel the choking sensation in her throat, Ollie and Max and Gracie all crowded on her bed fighting, with mom and Victor being the mediators. Ollie and Max's yells as Gracie chased them, when they themselves fought. She gazed blindly at Tempest's swiveling ears.

River Bend was just ahead and she dropped back and sat Tempest as she attempted to pull the reins through her fingers. She could see ahead, the kids were up and moving about doing chores, cleaning the yard and brushing down the dirty, muddy horses. This was all so different to back home, her gaze dropped back to Tempest's ears and patting the filly's neck she slipped out of the saddle, before taking the reins and taking her to the now clear hitching post.

"Are you okay Sam? You're all quiet," Reena chirped as she came back from leading Ace her spunky bay mustang to the paddock.

Sam shrugged, clearing her throat and started to untack the black horse.

"You're so lucky, you get to go out in the morning and see the sunrise, we stay here and do chores," the girl chattered as she took off Tempest's bridle. "So boring."

"If you got up earlier, you'd get to go out on the range," Wyatt said seriously to his youngest.

Reena pulled a face that Sam just caught out the corner of her eye, "getting up early?" The tone told them all what she thought of that, and despite herself, Sam's lips twitched.

"Yes," Wyatt said firmly. "Sam was up at five to work her Stallion so she came out and helped on the range afterwards."

Reena grumbled, "I wanna go out early."

"If you want," Sam shrugged, "I'll wake you up for it." She had a distinct feeling the girl would roll over and go back to sleep but who knew? Taking up a brush from one of the kits on the ground, she ran it over the glossy black coat. She too had mud everywhere but Sam had managed to get most of it off that morning and so she just ran through the motions to distract her thoughts.

The filly enjoyed it, dropping her head and groaning gratefully. When Reena offered to lead the filly back to her paddock Sam shrugged, gathering her gear and headed inside the barn to go through to the tack shed.

She still had to clean Swallow's stall out and she decided to do that rather than go back inside for a little while.

* * *

Sam couldn't sleep, she groaned as she caught sight of the glowing green lights in the darkness, cursing in her agitation. She was so fed up she dumped a pillow on the clock and switched off the ipod, chucking it onto her bed. Getting up dressed in her pj sweats and a tank top with the words, 'think what you like… as if I care,' she grabbed a thick black hoody and dragged it over her head, pulling her slightly mussed braid out of it.

She was so fed up with everything, tired and frustrated because she couldn't sleep and she hadn't heard from her family ever since before the cattle drive and she'd tried calling but no one would pick up.

Quietly she slipped out of her room with Amber following and walked past her sibling's bedrooms. Sleep didn't elude them, she thought somewhat grumpily. Immediately guilt crashed down on her and to escape it she hurried down the stairs.

If she went out to Swallow, saw how he was and then checked on Tempest she was sure she could sleep. It had been worse on the cattle drive. In such close confines she hadn't wanted to get up in case she woke the other two and there was only so long you could stare at canvas and not get bored.

Taking her hat and easing on her boots she headed out of the house ignoring the clock that told her it was one in the morning. Stuffing her hands in her pockets she noted it was a somewhat balmy night, the rain had stopped and the ground was only slightly springy under foot. Night noises assaulted her ears quietly, the gurgle of La Charla River and the soft horse noises, they moved quietly about their paddock and she could see about three mounds of horse flesh that showed those tired enough to lie down.

Heading over to the paddock first she heard the horses snort to take in her scent before the lithe black filly sidled over for a pat. Nudging Sam once in the chest the filly watched her with wide brown eyes as if to ask, _what are you doing? Why aren't you asleep like the rest_? Sam smiled and kissed the velvety nose, twirling the thick forelock about her finger and just enjoying looking at the compact filly. She was dappling, next summer she'd be grey most likely and the thought made her smile, but she noted to that on her lightening legs, there were thick black stripes like a zebra on them and that made her curious, what had the filly's mother looked like? Tempest eventually got bored off her human, lipping at the hoody sleeve before taking off back to her friends.

Sam watched her go before she crossed the ranch yard quickly, only the moon to tell her where she going as she slid into the barn. Swallow had been sleeping, or at least laying down because as she walked in there was a large rustle of him gathering his legs beneath him to stand and then a large grey head shoved itself out of the stall half door. When he caught sight of her he nickered and she slipped into the stall. Finding a clean patch she slid down the wall and sat, crossing her legs.

The redhead tilted her head back, eyes half open to watch her stallion as he sniffed at her before he felt comfortable enough to lay down again. She'd read somewhere that it was rare for horses to lay down so much unless they felt comfortable and most stood up when humans approached them, but Swallow was easy enough about her to just lie back down and not care. She smiled softly and sighed.

She must've drifted off at some stage because when she woke up there were nickers and a great many hoof falls to be the River Bend herd. Her mouth bent into a frown and she sat up, ears pricked for noises. Actually, the hooves were in a different direction.

Swallow lurched to his feet and Sam kept as much out of his way as she could. Every muscle within the silver hide of her horse, shook. Molten silver he glowed within the stall and his ears were straining so far forward. He let out a loud neigh that had Sam swearing and clapping her hands over her ears. When he quieted she listened and then heard it, an answering trumpeting stallion.

After that Swallow just stood there, he'd been like that when he'd seen other stallions and he'd never done more than stand like that and trumpet his call.

Sam shook her head and stood, dusting herself off. slipping carefully out of the stall she made sure the door was bolted before going to investigate. Heading down the barn aisle she slipped into the starlit night and moving evenly so that her boots didn't crunch to much she hurried past Chip's in the paddock and headed towards the La Charla.

When she got near enough Sam's eyes widened as they took in the herd, a wild mustang herd, crowding on the bank of the river. Her eyes roamed over each. Paints, bay, sorrels, chestnuts, grays, blacks, duns, her eyes drunk in the sight, she even saw a small buckskin mare rounding up on some pushy yearlings, her tiger striped legs lashing at the delinquents, she'd found the lead mare then…

Her gaze looked over the heads of the heard, trying to search for the herd's stallion. Straining she moved as close as she dared, glad that there wasn't a breeze for them to scent her with, she was having to much fun looking over them all for them to be scared away.

A small bay colt tottered away from his mom to touch noses with a small sorrel filly. A large bay colt, slender and pretty stood with his head slung over a chestnut filly who looked as it someone had shifted sugar over her. the bay had a white splodge over one eye and his eyes were closed in relaxation.

Sam's fingers itched for her camera, what a sight to send back home this would be! She sat quietly on a rock and watched the herd quietly, eyes still watching for the stallion.

And then he came, stepping through the herd like a king. Her eyes widened, he seemed to be spun of star glow, silver, grey and white hairs making up his coat, his mane was a mix of silver, grey and black stands, hanging in dreadlocks and knots down his shoulder. From the dish of his face she'd say he was an Arabian descendant. He stepped gracefully and she watched him move, he walked across the band of the river before quickly dipping his head to drink.

Backing away quickly his ears swiveled side to side on alert and he watched carefully as his family drank their fill.

Sam must've moved, but how could she when she was holding her breath? But he looked towards her, acutely aware. The herd was set on high alert then and heads thrown up they focused on her.

The bay with the white patch over his eye trotted for the water but the little buckskin mare moved in on him with bared teeth and flat ears. He stopped and then turned for the little mare went for his shoulder with her sharp teeth.

Kicking up her heels, the icing sugar filly moved after her friend.

The silver stallion didn't move, he stayed watching Sam and she watched him as his mare herded off his family. She was quiet sure that this was the stallion she had seen that rainy morning on the cattle drive. Right down to the mischievous brown eyes, he bobbed his head and she recognized that gesture as one of Swallow's own. It was an expression of playfulness, one her stallion did when she took him to a round yard with a soccer ball to play with.

This stallion was shorter than hers by far, but to see that expression made her smile. Water splashed and she realized then that he standing in the water up to his knees. She watched as he dipped his muzzle into it, throwing it into the air before bobbing it exuberantly. She felt her smile grow at the impish look on the horses face. she eased herself quietly to a stand and carefully stepped towards the river.

She reached the river edge before he tossed his muzzle once more, spun on his haunches and then launched himself for the bank. And Sam felt her breath release as he disappeared before she shook her head and chuckled softly. Her eyes followed the river edge on that side and then she frowned. It was almost as if… she trotted towards the bridge and over it before moving to the bank side.

The Hoofprints of the herd were there, but the patch where the stallion had been… nothing, not a single impression.

But she'd seen him and he'd been real, so real, the way he'd stepped with presence and the water splashing, it wasn't her imagination.

Her mouth tugged down further in a frown as she marveled over the prints, the small foal ones, to the slightly larger yearling ones, right up to the broader older mares. She sighed and could feel her body sag with tiredness.

Trotting back across the bridge, she vowed to check the hoof prints tomorrow morning and she jogged all the way back up to the ranch before heading into Swallow's stall. The stallion sniffed at her before laying down again, head up and ears pricked he settled it into her lap as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

Imprinted behind them was the image of the stallion without hoof prints. The Phantom…

* * *

Not much Sam and Jake I know... But yaah!! The Phantom :P Not much happens in this chapter, does it? It looks like a filler. Kind of sad really... sighs

Anyway, read, review and tell me what you think!!


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